Altered Perception
by MonsterSlut
Summary: Scarlet Lords was used to being used and abused. Hated for being born a meta-human but desired for powers over the mind, Scarlet ran away, never to look back. For years she's been living in Hell's Kitchen, doing what she can to survive only to come to the attention of the Justice League. When they extend their hand, will she run or will she stay and fight? M for future chapters
1. Chapter 1

**++++++ So sue me I started another fic.**

 **More for you guys to enjoy and more for me to enjoy bringing to you.**

 **This story will not follow any particular story line but it will be set in the Justice League/Young Justice Universe with some elements of the Arrowverse cause why not.**

 **Scarlet is mine, everything else belongs to DC apart from Mindwarp who belongs to** **Suki Uchiha Lamprouge.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Full Summery (cause there's never enough room)**

Her whole life, Scarlet Lords was used to being used and abused. Hated by her parents for being born a meta-human but desired for powers over the mind, Scarlet runs away at the tender age of twelve, never to look back. For years she's been living in Hell's Kitchen, doing what she can to survive only to come to the attention of the Justice League. When they extend their hand to her, will she run or will she stay and fight? How hard is it for someone who has spent their whole life trusting no one to trust those who only wish to help?

Pairings:

OC/Connor Kent aka Superboy (slow burn)

OC/Barry Allen aka The Flash (already established romance)

 **One**

Through the streets she ran, dodging the crowds of people who rushed about their day to day business. Normally she would have looked just like another student running to class, late yet again to their morning classes, but this was no normal girl and she was not running late to class.

She was, in fact, running away from the police with a backpack full of stolen food. Looking back, she flashed a grin at them seconds before she darted down an alley to her right. Reaching the end of the alley, the girl ran up a series of boxes and crates, using the wall to propel herself upward and over, leaving the police below, wondering where she had gone.

A sly smirk flashed across her dirty face, grey eyes twinkling with excitement. There was nothing better than the rush felt from escaping by the hair of your teeth.

The girl's name was Scarlet Lords and she was a meta-human.

In this day and age where gods walked amongst men, aliens and Amazonian princesses walked freely amongst the rest of humanity, humans born with powers had become a much desired commodity. Life ended up in two separate places for people born with special gifts-they were either traded or sold, made do whatever they were told through violence and death, or utterly protected by parents who loved them above all else.

The blonde girl standing on the roof overlooking the streets of Hell's Kitchen, was of the latter. Hated and abused by her parents but desired for the fact she was telepathic, Scarlet was used like she was nothing. Through their daughter, her parents gained untold wealth and riches, on the onset of puberty a second gift emerged that enabled her to break free. Six years later and there she stood, watching the bumbling fools below trip over their own feet.

She laughed, a sweet tinkling sound, somewhat musical and enchanting at the same time but entirely mistrusting. "Fools," she muttered under her breath. Scarlet turned around and ran across the roof, jumping over and ducking under obstacles as she went. Most children had playgrounds and sporting fields in their youth, she had rooftops and streets as her playgrounds, learning how to survive.

There were things Scarlet did for money when it was needed, there were people who had hidden desires for young people. It was easy for her to pick out those who would pay from those who would not, that cursed gift of telepathy came in handy very often. The disgust and hatred she often felt afterward was always push aside when a sick child got better or freezing children became warm. Those children were her family and she trusted no one but them.

That morning Scarlett had left before all the children had woken up, they'd run out of food a few days ago and she'd spent all that time scouting for a new place far enough away that no one would find them and far enough away as to not attract the attention of any Hunters. That's what the kids called the people who stole meta-human children for experimentation and exploitation- Hunters. Generally they left Scarlet alone, going after the children because of their age.

The backpack she wore was heavy. There was a lot of food in that backpack, so much so Scarlet almost had difficulty taking it all but after all, she had a lot of mouths to feed. For some reason, the young woman had attracted a mass of unwanted meta-human children each of varying abilities. Scarlet stole them clothes, food and medicine when they were sick, over time their group had changed sizes, going from large to small or small to large, children being taken and stolen.

"Jason!" Scarlet yelled, landing on the ground from a taller building. "Jason! I'm back!"

The children all ran around her when they saw her. They had set up a series of tents on the roof of a series of abandoned buildings, living there unnoticed by most. The children and Scarlet were the only ones who knew how to find their little home.

"Where is Jessie?" she questioned, searching the small group of street kids, all of whom relied on her for food and protection. Out of the ten children Scarlet looked after, the youngest, sweet, little Jessie, the happy jewel of their group, was missing. Jessie, a child with the gift of illusion and as innocent as a baby.

"She was playing down in the alley," Jason answered. Jason was the second eldest, a meta-human just like Scarlet but with the power to command and control animals. At sixteen, he looked after the kids when Scarlet was gone. Being a meta-human kid like they all were, in a world like this, was hard.

Scarlet cursed under her breath, she shrugged off her bag of stolen food, throwing it over to Jason. "Distribute the food evenly," she ordered him. "Make sure to keep some for Jade and whatever you do, stay out of the way of the meta-hunters." She turned on her heels, running across the rooftops that made their home. She jumped up on the ledge and scanned the alley. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw a back van pull into the end of the alley as Jessie played in the puddles at the end. "JESSIE!" Scarlet screamed. "SCATTER!"

The little girl looked up and screamed.

The seventeen-year-old jumped off the ledge of the building, summoning a protective bubble of energy, Scarlet landed on the ground in between Jessie and the Hunters. She was by all means, no superhero. She was no Batman or Superman but these were her children. "On my back, Jessie," she ordered.

The girl ran over to Scarlet, jumping on her back, wrapping her tiny arms around her neck. "I'm sorry, Scarlet!" Jessie cried. "I wanted to play!"

Scarlet stared down the Hunters. There was four of them, dressed all in your typical black, armed with the latest weapons to catch meta-humans. There weapons were all marked with the symbol of LexCorp logo, a while ago Lex Luther had released a press statement saying that a shipment of weapons were stolen and being sold on the black market, these 'stolen' weapons were being used in the capture of anyone with powers. "Fuck," she whispered, looking around for an escape. She could use here telekinesis to propel herself, sure Jessie didn't weigh anything significant but try as she might, two was out of the question.

"SCARLET!" Jason yelled from above.

Scarlet's grey eyes darted to the roof. "JASON!" she yelled. "SCATTER! GO!"

A small dart with a fluffy blue end hit Scarlet in the neck. She paused and was suddenly overcome with an unusual sensation as a cold feeling spread throughout her body. Scarlet's usually focused mind was suddenly running rampart, her thoughts scattered in the chaos she fought so hard against.

Scarlet's knees eventually fell out from underneath her, the drug taking hold of her faculties.

"Scarlet!" Jessie cried. She tried to help her friend stand but she was unable to support her weight despite how skinny Scarlet actually was. "Help!" the girl cried.

Suddenly an explosion rang out throughout the alley, alarms sprung to life, screeching out that their security was compromised. Jessie screamed and Scarlet could feel the heat on her feet. The meta-human girl struggled to try and see what was going on, gunfire rang out, the bullets seeming to hit nothing but brick.

Someone screamed, it was a man.

Scarlet couldn't focus.

"We'll take it from here kid."

Scarlet looked out through unfocused eyes. The familiar vision of blue and red with a golden S on the chest leant down in front of her to gently pull the dart from her neck. "Oh joy," she muttered, speech slurred from whatever it was working its way through her system. "It's superdork. We're saved." Even drugged she dripped with sarcasm.

A chuckle. "You're going to have fun with this one, Mindwarp."

"Yeah thanks, superdork," a woman replied.

Scarlet could feel someone trying to break into her mind, with a scream, she pushed the intruder out.

There was a laugh followed by nothing at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**++++++ I've made some changes to certain things, those of which you will see here.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Two**

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, spatula in hand, arms cross against her chest the woman tapped her foot against the ground. Half expecting her boys to have already invaded the kitchen the moment the smell of pancakes wafted through the house she found herself to be sorely mistaken. "Barbar! Barty Speedster! Breakfast!"

The twenty-six year old mother shook her head the moment the floor above her started to rumble. Two trails of identical red lightning flashed by her and into the kitchen. Their house was just like a regular normal house but with three meta-humans living inside. Their inconspicuous two-story Victorian brownstone was home to school psychologist by day and meta-human superhero by night, Starla Lee or as she was known through Central City as Mindwarp. Starla lived with her full-time boyfriend, forensic scientist Bartholomew 'Barry' Allen or as he was known across the world as The Flash. The third and final addition to their little family was four-year-old Bartholomew Allen II or as he was simply know as just Bart.

People walking by 52 Acacia Grove with their dogs would never guess that such legends lived inside raising a future hero of their own.

In the kitchen at the table sat her two growing boys, already halfway through the gigantic stack of chocolate chip pancakes that Starla had made that morning. Wearing two identical goofy grins, they both waved at her, speaking muffled sounds with food in their mouths. "I'm sorry, Mr Allen but what kind of example are you setting your son?" Starla laughed, sitting down to join them.

Barry reached out, grabbing a glass of milk to wash the pancakes down. "I said you should have let me cook breakfast. "Good morning, my beautiful Mind Queen."

From beside his father, Bart pretended to be sick, flashing over to his mother's lap when the two of them reached over to give each other a morning kiss. "My mummy!" he declared.

"Oh Barty Speedster," Starla laughed.

"How did everything go yesterday?" he asked. "Did you get the girl?"

Starla sipped her orange juice and nodded. He spoke of course of the group of meta-human street kids they'd rescued in New York yesterday. Her held had been specifically requested to help deal with a young girl with telepathic and telekinetic powers who used them to survive. Scarlet Lords had first come to the attention of the Justice League six months ago, Superman, Batman and The Flash had destroyed a facility that was experimenting on meta-human children. They'd found her file on the hacked computer system a month later, she was listed as valuable and extremely dangerous but not a priority target. Whoever was behind the worldwide kidnappings, hadn't sent anyone out for her just yet-until yesterday that was. "Whatever was in her system will take a few hours to work its way out. I'm heading to Mount Justice after I drop Bart off at day care. Clark felt that it would be better for Scarlet to wake amongst other teenagers. As for the rest of the kids, they're being checked out and will be rehomed. They're all meta-human street kids." She spoke of Clark Kent, journalist by day, Superman by night.

Alongside being councillor to a bunch of teenagers at Central City High School, Starla also looked after a lot of the psychological needs of the next generation of superheroes. They called themselves the Teen Titans. There wasn't many in the Justice League that knew the identities of all members, Starla was one of them.

"Babe-your com," Barry spoke, pointing to the small coms device that sat on the shelf out of Bart's reach.

Starla stood and picked up the small device. It looked like a phone but when the green button at the bottom of the screen was pushed it projected a holographic image of the person who was calling. "Clark," she smiled, "I was just finishing up before taking Bart to school."

" _Barry can do it_ ," Clark answered. " _We have a little problem_."

Starla winced at the sound of shouting in the background. "Is there a problem?"

" _The girl woke up earlier then we estimated,_ " Clark replied, " _no one can get near her. I never realised how many weapons were in the medical bay until now._ " He disappeared out of sight for a few seconds and reappeared. " _Another telepath would be highly appreciated, Starla._ "

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Starla nodded. She ended the call and looked to Barry who had already disappeared from the room with Bart. Thankfully when these kinds of things happened, they had a system. Starla may not be the fastest person alive but she was organised.

"Mummy go fight the bad guy?" Bart asked, appearing at her feet already dressed.

Starla knelt down. "Mummy has to go help someone. She's sick and mummy can make her feel better."

"Can I come?" Bart asked.

Barry flashed into the room shaking his head. "No little guy, you're going to school. Daddy has to go to work and mummy has to go help one of us. Okay?"

Bart shifted in his spot. "Okay daddy."

"I'll be ready when you get back," Starla grinned, leaning over to kiss Barry. "Love you Barty Speedster," she smiled, kissing her son on the head.

Barry picked up Bart, the two of them disappeared as Starla raced up stairs to have a quick shower. By the time she was dressed and ready to go, Barry was back.

"The Barry Allen express taxi service at your service, my lady," Barry grinned, leaning up against the doorway watching her.

"The Barry Allen express taxi service?" Starla asked him. She shook her head. "Flash Cabs sounds so much better."

He winked at her. Getting around Central City when the Flash was your boyfriend was probably one of the city's perks.

The heroes destination was STAR Labs where there was a device called a Zeta-Beam that would transport anyone anywhere just as long as there was another Zeta-Beam at the destination. They also relied on the weather conditions at the time.

The Zeta-Beam transport hidden in STAR Labs was Starla's way of getting to Mount Justice just like any other of the heroes in the Justice League. After kissing Barry goodbye, Starla was quick to make her way to her destination where the sounds of shouting were matched by the sound of one or two minor explosions.

There were only a small number of members here today, Nightwing, or as he was known in the daytime as Richard Greyson, and Superboy aka Connor Kent as well as Clark and Diana Prince, known worldwide as Wonder Woman.

"Took your time," Clark replied.

Starla looked over at the door into the medical bay, she noticed a thin blue force-field covering the entrance. "Can't you get in?" she asked.

"I suggested not," Diana answered. "I don't think a bunch of brutish guys going in will help. I've read the file. Figured you could help. She's trying to get into the computer system."

Starla took her jacket off and held it in her arms as she walk to the barrier. The girl on the other side was hitting a computer keyboard, swearing as the computer was locked to her. "Scarlet Lords?"

Scarlet spun around in her seat, she was dressed in hospital clothes, her blonde hair wild around her head. "Where are they?" she snapped. "Where are my kids!"

"My name is Starla Lee-" she started.

"I don't give a fuck what your name is!" Scarlet yelled.

Starla closed her eyes and sighed. "Scarlet, you need to calm down and let me into the room so we can talk."

"Fuck you bitch!" Scarlet snapped.

Starla raised her hand and placed it on the barrier, expanding her own barrier, red against blue, the telepath pushed outwards, forcing herself through the barrier until she was inside. "That's better isn't it?" Starla suddenly found herself slammed up against the wall. "Scarlet!" she groaned through gritted teeth. "Let me down!"

"Where are my kids?" Scarlet snapped.

"Rehomed," Starla answered. "With families who will love them like they're own. Not everyone is the enemy, Scarlet. You must trust me on this."

"Why should I trust you?" she spat. "You're just like the rest of them. Forcing your mind into mine instead of your body!"

Starla blinked as the force holding her against the wall lessoned. "I'm sure that is something we can talk about. With each layer we work through you and I can become friends."

"I don't any friends," Scarlet snapped. She turned to walk away, Starla tried to reach out, if perhaps Scarlet would not trust her, maybe her powers would.

That wasn't a smart idea.

Scarlet's mind swallowed Starla's up like an ant in a thunderstorm. It chewed her up and spat her out.

Starla stumbled backwards through the doorway only for it to close up again. "She is strong," Starla shuddered. "She is strong and she is powerful and she is angry. I grade psychics like myself in numbers, I would be a five easy…that girl is an eight or a nine…she has so much power and nothing to do with it except get angry. She needs training."

"Is she a danger?" Clark inquired. Typical Clark Kent, always protecting the human race.

Starla shrugged. "I do not know. The question we must ask ourselves is what shall we do with her?"

"The Watchtower?" Richard suggested.

"Here with kids her own age," Connor argued.

Starla shook her head at all of those ideas. "She needs a normal environment, one suited to a normal teenage existence. She needs something constant. Living in Mount Justice right now will do her more harm than good. The same goes for the Watchtower. She needs a family environment. One where her anger and her power will be understood and nurtured."

"Are you saying that you'll let her live with you?" Clark asked her.

"Well I am like her," Starla admitted. "A fellow telepath that is a female could prove beneficial. Don't forget, Scarlet has been living on the streets for a very long time. She will take time to trust anyone aside from those kids she looked after." She took her cell phone out of her pocket. "Better call Barry, tell him to make up the guest room."

 **++++++ Okay so you may have noticed that Starla and Barry have a son called Bart instead of it being Barry and Iris. And that he is considerably younger then his Young Justice character. He's still a speedster, he's just younger ++++++**


	3. Chapter 3

**++++++ Quick chapter before bed.**

 **It's 12.15 am here and I'm zonked.**

 **Night all.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Three**

The Allen-Lee household would never be the same again.

"Who's staying, daddy?" Bart asked his dad, bouncing on the bed of the guest bedroom, a huge grin on his face. "Will they read to me daddy?"

Barry shrugged as he worked on putting the new quilt cover on the bed. After picking Bart up from day care, father and son went to the shopping mall to buy some stuff for their new house guest. The girl at the shops had said that roses and skulls were very popular with teenager girls which is why he was now putting a black quilt decorated in skulls and purple roses on the bed. "Her name is Scarlet," Barry told his son, "she's come from a very bad place and mummy agreed to help her."

"Is she like us, daddy?" Bart asked. The twenty question game was very big right now. "Should I not run in the house?"

Barry laughed. "You probably shouldn't un in the house to start with. We've gone through six vases in one week."

"But it's fun!" Bart pouted. "Daddy, will she be my new sister?"

Barry sighed and sat down on the bed. "Bart, my man. We need to talk about what this means for us. Scarlet is a very angry girl. She didn't grow up like we did. She wasn't loved by her mum and dad. They did some bad things to her but mummy is going help her get better again. Okay? And if she doesn't Scarlet won't be staying."

Bart flashed a grin when the two of them hear the front door open. "Can we show Scarlet her clothes?" he grinned.

The same assistant who had helped with the bedding had also help with clothes. There was one shirt Bart had picked out on his own, a Batman logo shirt. He grabbed the shirt and flashed down to the foyer where Starla was, standing outside in the cold was Scarlet. He grinned and flashed over to Scarlet. "Hi!" he smiled. "I'm Bart! What's your name? You're Scarlet right?"

Starla smiled. "Scarlet Lords, this is my son Bart and my boyfriend Barry."

"I picked out a shirt for you!" Bart laughed, jumping up and down. He held up the black fabric for her to take. "Daddy said you lived on the streets so we got you all new clothes! Will you read me a bedtime story? Can you colour in? I can't do lines yet but I try super hard."

"Slow down, Barty Speedster," Starla warned him. "Perhaps you can show our house guest where she'll be sleeping?"

Barry grabbed Scarlet's hand and he pulled her through the house at a normal pace. "I made you a sign with your name on it!" he told her.

Starla took her jacket off, shaking her head. "I half think she agreed to stay with us so that she could run away."

"Agreed," Barry answered. He kissed her on the cheek, "I got stuff out to make pasta, oh cooking queen."

"Working?" she asked him. It was supposed to be Barry's night to cook dinner but since he'd had to leave work early to pick Bart up he would be working from home.

Barry nodded. "Yeah, sorry." He kissed her and disappeared into his study.

The entire evening Bart hung off Scarlet whilst Starla prepare dinner. Barry was doing some work from home in the study so it was just the three off them.

"Tomorrow I've arranged for you to sit an educational test," Starla told the teenager. "We need to figure out what level of education you're at so we can enroll you in school."

"I'm not going to school," Scarlet replied. Her answers with Starla or Barry were snippy and short, but whenever Bart asked her for something, she would talk to him in a low warm tone like she was his mother, not Starla. It was clear that Scarlet had a soft spot for children, it wasn't just her little circle of children but in general. She was so affectionate with Bart, such a change from the meta-human who was trying to squash her only hours before.

Starla sighed. "Listen, Scarlet. I know you're new to this but I do have rules in this house. No swearing. Do your chores. Clean up after yourself. Your curfew is nine pm and you will go to school."

Scarlet shot her a look across the table. "School? What's the point? I take what I need out of people's minds."

She groaned in frustration. "I'm a telepath and my rule is that I do not use my powers on my friends. Your rule regarding your power is that you will not use them period. This is my home, my family and if I feel you're putting my boys in danger I will end you."

"Like you could," Scarlet replied.

"I can create illusions and put them in people's heads," Starla warned her. "I can make them feel so real that I can be enough of a challenge to you. What I'm trying to do here is find a medium. So tomorrow you'll sit the damn test and then we can start on some sessions."

Scarlet leant forward in her seat. "I'll make you a deal. You let me see my Jessie and Jason and I'll give your stupid test a try. Otherwise, no dice, lady."

Starla frowned. "I'll see what I can do," she replied through gritted teeth.

Dinner was tense, everyone was quiet apart from Bart slurping away at his noddles. Starla was getting glared at by Scarlet who picked at her dinner. She guessed that it was because she often gave her shares of food to the kids so she never ate full portions like this before. Starla needed to take her to the doctors and started on some vitamins to get her nutrition back up. After desert, Bart and Barry started to get ready for bed. When Barry went to get his son's favourite book off the shelf for story time, Bart declared he wanted Scarlet to do story time with him tonight. He found Scarlet in the hallway, staring at the photos on the wall.

In her mind the girl had no clue what to make of the happy family. Why couldn't she have grown up loved like Bart was?

"Will you read me a story?" Bart asked her tugging on Scarlet's shirt.

Scarlet looked down at the kid as he held up a tattered, old copy of _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe._ She took the book and looked it over and shrugged. "Sure. Okay."

The kid grinned when he saw she was wearing the shirt that he had picked out. Bart grabbed her hand and yanked her to his bedroom. Scarlet was surprised to see that the bedroom of the son of the Flash was decorated in the Batman theme. She dragged her over to his bed and blurred the rest of the way so that he was under the covers.

Scarlet lay down on the bed, curled in beside him. She opened the book to the first chapter. " _Once, there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This is about something that happened to them when they were set away from London during the war because of the air-raids_ …"

 **-XXX-**

Starla was in a panic. She'd had the girl in their house for less than four hours and she was missing. The meta-human was ready to go out and look for Scarlet when Barry called her upstairs.

"Your missing kid, my lady?" Barry asked her, pointing into Bart's bedroom.

Starla gasped. Lying asleep in the bed were both Scarlet and Bart curled into each other, Bart's favourite book in between them. She sighed and turned the light off. Truthfully tonight had been easy, it was tomorrow that would be when the hard part started.


	4. Chapter 4

**++++++ Ah Friday...I love you...**

 **Please enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Four**

It took Scarlet a few moments to figure out where she was the next morning. It had been far too long since she had woken up anywhere warm and comfortable. The bed was empty and the smell of food wafted in front the kitchen. Laughter rang out from down the stairs along with the smell of bacon.

Memories flooded back, memories of everything before her powers manifested.

 _"_ _More bacon, princess?" her father asked her, hovering over her with a grin on his face._

 _"_ _Yes!" she grinned._

 _"_ _You spoil her, Ian," her mother warned._

 _"_ _She's our princess," he smiled. "Love you Scarlet."_

 _"_ _Love you daddy!"_

Scarlet climbed out of bed. She hated those memories more so then anything else. Old habits had the teenager pull the cover over the bed before she headed down the stairs. She hated this place, liars, all of them. No one is ever this happy or friendly, thee world had an ugly side and it overtook everything else. These people wanted something from her.

"Good morning Scarlet," Barry smiled. He sat at the table reading the paper whilst Starla cooked breakfast. Bart was sitting at the table, feet swinging over the edge of his chair colouring in. It was a superhero colouring book oddly enough-Scarlet may have lived on the streets but she'd never seen Batman red and purple before. "How did you sleep?"

Scarlet slumped down in an empty chair. "Coffee, black, like my soul."

"Say please!" Bart reminded her. "Mummy and daddy always say to say please when you want something."

"Coffee, black, like my soul, please," Scarlet muttered.

Starla sat the hot coffee in front of her. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

"Don't talk to me," Scarlet snapped, sipping her coffee. She looked up at Starla. "I'm still trying to figure out what you want. People don't help anyone is this world out of the goodness of their little hearts. This world is diseased and disgusting."

"We want to help you," Barry told her. "Meta-humans kids end up in three placed. A good home, the streets eventually leading to a life of crime or sold."

"The Hunters that had you cornered were sent to catch you," Starla explained. She sat down. "Six months ago, the League liberated a place that kids like you and my son were experimented on. You had a file in the system. Designated valuable but extremely dangerous. You wouldn't have been able to defend yourself from an attack. We can provide that."

Barry stood up as the doorbell rang.

"We're trying to help you," Starla assured her.

"I don't want to be a hero," Scarlet snipped. "I just want the kids back. I want to be back in my own little world and leave it at that."

"How many kids have you lost in the time you lived on the streets?" Starla asked her. "Finding meta-human children and protecting them so that they can grow up right is the best part of this. Saving people comes in second but think about what you can do if you can properly use your gifts."

Those words stung. Scarlet knew each and every kid that she'd lost to the streets and to Hunters.

Jaime Elmer.

Kendra Queen.

Clara Tombs.

Samuel Jones.

Hunter Locks.

Theo Gamble.

Austin Freemon.

Thomas South.

"Scarlet!" Jason suddenly ran in through the kitchen door, clean and geared up like he was running away.

"Jason!" she grinned. Scarlet jumped out of her seat and ran over to her friend. "What are you doing?"

Jason at Starla. "She and her other league freaks separated all of us for our protection!" he snapped. "I've got some friends out looking for Jessie. Get some crap together, we're leaving."

"Jason you can't do that," Starla warned him. "We're trying to keep you safe."

"You're just as bad as the rest of them!" Jason snapped.

"What is it with these kids and mistrust?" Barry muttered.

"Mummy!" Bart yelled as a dog with glowing red eyes appeared in the house. "Mummy! Puppy!"

"Bart upstairs!" Starla yelled at her son.

Bart blinked and disappeared.

A second dog appeared beside the first and the two advanced on Starla until she was trapped in the corner of the kitchen. The telepath narrowed her eyes, focusing on the two dogs but the moment her mind touched theirs she found herself in such fractured chaos. The mind of an animal wasn't like the mind of a human. It was in pieces, all over the place. There was no order. The boys mind was exactly the same. To Starla it was like she was a rookie again, just a kid who couldn't control her powers.

Scarlet left the room to get some clothes and change. There was no way that she was staying here in this house. She was going to get her kids back and they'd go away, far away. When she came back, the two dogs still had Starla cornered in the kitchen.

Barry suddenly flattered Jason on his back, knocking the teen to the floor, forcing him to lose his control over the dog that had Starla cornered in the kitchen.

"JASON!" Scarlet screamed. She stared at Barry and suddenly the speedster collapsed on the ground clutching his head, screaming. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" It was like the first time that Scarlet had met Jason, two Russian's had him cornered in an alley beating him within an inch of his life. That was the first time Scarlet had really hurt someone. Like brain turned into soup hurt someone.

Starla ran at Scarlet, she grabbed the back of her head and viciously dove into the teenagers mind, shattering through the poorly constructed defenses in her head.

 _The teenagers mind was like a fortress within walls and walls and more walls. Like a lord within a castle, battle besiegement. Starla stood upon a hill overlooking the medieval fortress. Soldiers were preparing for a fight along the wall, all their weapons were aimed upon the intruder into their master's mind._

 _Right in the center of her mind stood an enormous tower, inside sat Scarlet's representation of her own mind._

 _The being that sat inside the tower was grotesque. A mutant mass of twisted memories, oozing with black poison. Starla couldn't tell where it ended or where it began but from her position on the hillside of Scarlet's mind she could see all kinds of memory balls floating around it, there was more red and black then there was white._

 _"_ _Oh Scarlet," she whispered. A black light exploded from the tower. Pure rage rang in all directions but it was mostly aimed at her. "I'm not here to hurt you," she told her._

 _"_ _She doesn't care you know," came a voice beside her. Starla looked down to see a little girl no older than seven standing there beside her. "And why should she?"_

 _"_ _Scarlet?" Starla whispered._

 _"_ _What's left of her," she smiled. "Before the world got to her." The little girl flung out some kind of shield around them as the wave of rage consumed them. "You said it yourself-_ _She is strong and she is powerful and she is angry. You took her from her home and her friends, her family. Everything was okay, I wouldn't be fading away I it weren't for you. I keep the dark memories at bay but the black and red consumes everything. Feeding on what's left of her good memories."_

 _"_ _I can help!" Starla objected._

"Then get out of my head!" Scarlet yelled, flinging Starla against the wall. She stepped over Barry on the floor and picked her backpack up before turning to Jason. "Come on."

"Scarlet!" Starla called. "Please-don't go! We can help you!"

"We don't need your help," Jason snapped. His eyes widened as he picked himself up off the ground. "I found Jessie. Come on." The boy, although clearly taller and bigger than Scarlet followed her from the house.

Starla crawled over the floor to Barry as he lay on the ground looking as though he'd lost a fight with a bus. She pulled her Com out of her dressing gown pocket and called Clark. She knew where the two teens would be going, it was just getting there first.


	5. Chapter 5

**++++++In honor of my first review:**

 **Stormrunner74 - It's an interesting idea. I was trying to think of how to do it since the age of one of the characters in that series has changed. Nightwing will be a teenager not an adult. I'd originally thought about it but not sure how to work certain character pairings into it. Otherwise I'd love to have River and Charlie in this cause it means I can play around with their children as well.**

 **Bit of a warning in this chapter though.**

 **Please enjoy this chapter before bed.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Five**

"She's where?" Scarlet questioned, staring at Jason as they sat outside CC Jitters having something to eat curtesy of Starla Lee's credit card.

"Gotham," Jason answered. "My birds say she's in some apartment building. We're gonna go get her."

"Gotham is halfway across the country," Scarlet objected. "They already know we're after Jessie. What do you propose we do?"

"Nothing sounds good," spoke a voice behind them. The two teens looked around and found the speaker in the form of a seventeen-year-old boy reading the paper. He put the paper down to reveal a red S on black background. He sat the paper down in front of him, looking straight at Scarlet. "You blew up our medical bay."

"Oh look, it's Superdork Jr," Scarlet snapped, getting to her feet. "Little far from your boss aren't you? You seem to missing his tight leash."

Superboy got to his feet. "You're a snippy little thing aren't you?"

"Just annoyed at people sticking their noises in my business," Scarlet snapped. She ushered Jason behind her, no animal the boy could control would bring Superman's protégée down. "We have to go," she warned him.

"Time to get your flea shot?" he teased. Superboy failed to duck the table flying into his face before it did. He threw the table aside and stared Scarlet down as she stood her ground in front of him. The girl had absolutely no training so this would be easy? Right?

Wrong.

Scarlet was flinging anything and everything she could get her hands on at him. Tables, chairs, the occasional motorbike-Shit a car! He drifted to the left, shaking himself off. "I am not going back!" she yelled.

"Relax, babe, I'm not here to take you back," Superboy laughed.

"Liar!" Scarlet screamed, her eyes suddenly glowing blue. "I HATE YOU ALL!" she screamed. "I WANT MY LIFE BACK!" Scarlet's feet suddenly left the ground, lifting centimeters off the ground.

"Well you've done it now," he muttered as a vortex started spinning around the girl. Superboy watched as the other kid with Scarlet stumbled back, horror written all over his face before he ran. The kid wasn't that important anyway. Scarlet was the one he was here to see. In the distance he could see two figures, one dressed in red and purple, the other dressed in blue and red. He rolled his eyes. Superboy had a strong dislike for the woman. Always sticking her noise in his business just because off the way he came into this world. "Anytime now," he muttered to the teen girl. Superboy floated backwards a little before he flew straight into the cortex.

Scarlet threw all the debris she'd collected straight at him.

He raised his fist and punched her, right in the face.

The enraged teen collapsed onto the ground in a heap, blood spilling from her nose and her eyes from using too much energy.

Mindwarp landed on the ground beside Superman, running over to Scarlet's body to see if she was still alive.

"What were you thinking going after her like that?" Superman scowled at the teen. "There could have been some serious damage-people could have died."

"I want her on the team," Superboy told his mentor. "She's good. But she needs training. I came here cause Nightwing and I agreed that she'd be a good asset to the team."

"No!" Mindwarp snapped. "Absolutely not!" She held the unconscious teen in her arms. "That's out of the question. She needs to heal her mind first before anything else."

Superboy looked down at Mindwarp and snorted. "You're the one holding her back-no one but you. You may think you're good at what you do but you can't fix everything. Girl like her, been through what she's been through, needs to learn to focus her anger. Some focus better by hitting things than talking. Anything that happens next is all on you, lady." He pushed off the ground and disappeared into the sky.

 **-XXX-**

Scarlet woke up in the bed back in the Allen-Lee household. She stared up at the roof above her, fearing to look around.

"You're still here if that's what you're worried about," Starla assured her.

Scarlet sat up. "What's your problem?" she snapped. "If I don't want to be here don't keep me. You're holding me against my will. I'd rather be out there then in here with a lying bitch like you."

Starla held her hands up. "Scarlet, I don't want to fight. We've all been through enough lately. I need to tell you something-in the fight between you and Superboy, Jason took off-we haven't been able to find him. Before you blame me there's something else you need to know…Jessie's been moved from her carers place. It seems she was torturing her carers with illusions, had them trapped in the house for twenty-four hours before we found her."

Scarlet frowned. "Where is she?"

"She's downstairs with Bart and Barry having breakfast," Starla answered, "her living here is under the condition that you will do as I ask otherwise a friend of mine in Star City has agreed to take her. Do we have an agreement?"

Scarlet nodded her head. "I promise. I'll even go to school as you ask just please don't take Jessie away!"

Starla smiled. "We're under agreement then. Before you go I want you to tell me something that no one else knows and I'll tell you something about me. Can you do that?"

Scarlet gripped the blanket tightly. "They were starving," she whispered, "I couldn't get any food for them. I promised but I didn't and they were all starving. Oh it was disgusting…your first time is supposed to be romantic. Not selling yourself in an alleyway for a hundred bucks at fifteen."

Starla reached out and squeezed her hand. "We'll work through that, Scarlet I promise. Barry doesn't know this but when I was sixteen I made a kid in our class kill himself."

Scarlet's eyes widened. "What?"

She nodded. "I was young. I had no idea. This was before the Justice League was even an idea. His name was Nathan Thomas. I found my friend, Suzie hiding in the bathroom after history and she was crying. She never told me but I saw what he did in her head. So I went after him. The idea was to make him confess to the police but instead he walked right up to the roof of the building and threw himself off. English third period on May 11th was when I heard the sound of him hit the ground. I'm worried because I was untrained, yes my parents loved me and nurtured me but I needed training. You need to heal your mind first. That little girl I met in your head is still there. These sessions I want us to have will be us fighting that thing in your head. I want more white lights-more happy memories and less darkness. Okay?" When Scarlet nodded, she let the girl get up.

Scarlet jumped out of bed and ran down stairs to the little girl waiting for her. She watched the girl go and sighed. Connor wasn't right…her mind needed healing first, the rest they could work on later. Yes, Starla decided, she would keep the offer of a place on the Young Justice League a secret for now.


	6. Chapter 6

**++++++ My stupid A key is getting stuck. I've read through this to make sure I got all the A's but if you see one missing. Please forgive me.**

 **Please enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Six**

Surprisingly the teenager's educational exam went incredibly well. When Starla opened the results she was surprised to see there wasn't much missing in her education at all apart from math so she set about enrolling Scarlet into school into grade twelve and Jessie into day care with Bart.

Bart was thrilled he now had two sisters but was less than impressed with the women to men ratio in the house now.

On Scarlet's first day at Central City High School, Starla had her wait in the waiting room whilst she sorted out her enrollment. Sitting there flipping a coin in between her fingers, Scarlet noticed a girl sitting across from her watching her like she was fresh meat. Scarlet shifted in her seat, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as she looked away. She could see the girl's image in the mirror just seconds before she vanished.

Scarlet's jaw dropped when the girl reappeared moments later. "That's awesome," she grinned, going to sit beside her.

The girl looked at her. "You know I totally did it to freak you out?" she asked.

"It helps when the person you're trying to freak out isn't a meta-human was well," Scarlet pointed out. She looked around the room, seeing that there was no one around, she winked at the printer and it started spitting out paper.

"Danielle Oscar," she smirked. "Friends call me Dani. What else can you do?"

"I'm telepathic and telekinetic," Scarlet told her. "You?"

"Energy manipulation," she answered. "I manipulate the energy around me to make me invisible. Shoot laser beams from my eyes, that's about it. Call me Supergirl and I'm gonna have to kill you."

Scarlet laughed. "Scarlet Lords," she smiled.

Dani moved in her chair so she was facing Scarlet. "Settle something for me, Psi," she spoke, "rumour is that you're Miss Lee's foster kid. True or false?"

Scarlet nodded. "True."

"Miss Oscar," Starla sighed, coming out of the office. "Trouble again?"

Dani rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that I'm waiting for a pass to leave early, Miss Lee."

Starla handed Scarlet her timetable. "You have history first-I trust you'll attend your classes?" she frowned. "I don't need to be getting pulled aside and told you were skipping class."

Dani got up as the receptionist came out of the filing room. "See you in homeroom," she winked, walking off.

Starla sighed. "I need you to stay away from that girl," she warned her. "Dani marches to the beat of a very unstable drum." She handed Scarlet a piece of paper. "The cheer squad are looking for new members. Maybe you should try that?"

Scarlet cocked an eyebrow. "You're kidding right? I'd rather stab my eyes out with rusty spoons, thanks." She threw the paper in the trash. "Let me make my own fiends, Starla. Not fake friends who will sell me out the first chance that they get. Okay?"

"I'm just trying to help," Starla replied.

"Don't," Scarlet warned her. The girl turned and headed out just as the bell for home room rang. By the time she found where she was actually going, Dani was waiting for her out the front with a guy. "God this place is huge."

Dani laughed. "You act like you've never been to school before."

Scarlet shook her head. "I haven't actually. I had to sit a stupid educational exam before I could come but yeah. Who's that?" she asked, pointing to the boy with her.

"This is Leon," Dani told her, "he's my boyfriend. Leon this is Psi."

"Psi?" the two both asked.

"You called me that earlier," Scarlet frowned, taking a seat in the back of the classroom. "Why?"

"Well you're Psi," Dani answered, "I'm Lightwave and this is Pyro."

Leon shot her a look. "Dani!"

She rolled her eyes. "Relax tightwad, she's like us. So did Miss Lee warn you away from me?" Dani laughed.

She nodded. "Starla did try. She suggested I join the cheer squad."

Dani groaned. "Fake disease spreading skanks!" she snapped just a little loud so the fake disease spreading skanks could hear her.

A girl in a cheerleading outfit turned around. "Fuck off, weirdo.

"Original, Kelly!" Dani shot back. "Guess that's all you can come up with, lack of brain cells and all. I men hell, I shit out things smarter than your whole group of friends combined."

"Better watch your back, slut," she snapped.

Scarlet cocked her head to the side and winked, the chair fell out from underneath the girl Kelly.

Dani burst out laughing as Kelly picked herself up, super embarrassed. "No underwear. Who's the slut now?"

Scarlet sat back as the rest of the class piled inside. God it was so ordinary and strange that she wished she'd never made that agreement with Starla in the first place. A slight giggle formed on her face when she saw a kid wearing a shirt with the Flash lightning bolt on it.

"Class," the home room teacher called out, "we've a new student today, her name is Scarlet Lords, I want you to make her feel welcome. Stand up Scarlet. Tell us a little bit about yourself."

Scarlet groaned and stood up. "I'll make it simple," she spoke up. "Don't try and make friends with me and I won't try and make friends with you. I can see your little minds ticking over, judging based on what you can see, so I'll do you a favour and spare you the trouble of being my friend. I'll be gone in a year so I won't bother remembering any of you. As for any of the gossip you're looking at making or spreading, I'll save you the embarrassment of getting it pathetically wrong. I lived on the streets in Hell's Kitchen with bunch of other street kids and now myself and my sister Jessie are being fostered by Miss Lee." She sat back down, Leon and Dani clapping and laughing.

The teacher sighed. "Thank you for that, Scarlet…right…onto the roll."

"That was kick ass!" Leon laughed. "Nice to meet you Psi."

 **-XXX-**

After school, Scarlet went to pick up Bart and Jessie from day care. Jessie had gotten into a fight with another children older then her and Bart had come to her rescue, both kids were being sent home with a letter to Starla and Barry.

When the three of them got back to the Allen-Lee house, Scarlet found that Barry was already home sitting at the table with a woman about the same age as Starla. Barry smiled when he saw her. "How was school?" he asked.

Scarlet shrugged. "Okay I guess. It's school. Got nothing else to compare it to. Bart and Jessie got into fight at day care."

The woman laughed. "That's my little speedster!"

"Auntie Charlie!" Bart shouted, running over to the woman who was obviously his aunt.

"Scarlet this is my sister Charlotte Allen," Barry introduced her, "Charlie this is Scarlet Lords and Jessie Thomas. We do family dinner on Tuesday when we can."

"Are Harley and Stella coming?" Bart asked. "It's been really, really long time since I saw them. Like forever."

"Pool," Charlie answered, motioning to the backyard.

"Jessie come put your swimmers on!" Bart laughed, grabbing Jessie's hand to drag her upstairs.

"Go join them," Barry told Scarlet. "Just be careful, the twins are hydrokinetic like their mother." He waited for Scarlet to go upstairs to change and turned back to his sister. "Superboy extended an invitation for her to join the YJL," he told her. "She's keeping it from Scarlet."

"Stupid," Charlie snorted. "The twins I told they can join when they're fifteen but they seem more interested in breaking the law and their father then anything."

"Yes," Barry muttered. "God I'll have to tell Starla that Jessie and Bart got into a fight," he sighed. "Bart's being acting out a lot. Has been since they arrived."

"He's a kid," Charlie shrugged, "a kid who never had siblings to spend time with apart from the trouble twosome out there. He's bound to get into trouble at some point. Despite how much of an angel we think our kids are. I mean we covered his little time travel episode didn't we?" She took a sip of her beer with a laugh and sat back listening to the kids play outside.


	7. Chapter 7

**++++++ Reviews:**

 **-stormrunner74: Yes he most certainly is the twins father.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Seven**

The next month seemed to pass by faster than the Flash. Starla was making some progress with Scarlet. The hero was used to having hour maybe an hour and a half sessions but Scarlet would always shut down after half an hour.

The two had almost hit a snag in their relationship when Starla came home from work to find Scarlet out in the backyard with Dani and Leon. Luckily Barry had been there to stop her from making things break down, Scarlet had friends and he felt that not everything could be solved from the advice from a textbook. After all it was his idea that Scarlet bring the two over to begin with.

It wasn't long before Starla was soon to realise that keeping Scarlet away from the YJL wasn't the best idea and it started with an attack on the high school the day that the older league members were out of Central.

"Man I am bored as fuck," Dani complained as the three of them hung out behind the bleachers.

"We could skip," Leon suggested. "Miss Lee isn't here."

Scarlet shrugged. "Sure, why not. Just as long as we're back to pick up Bart and Jessie from day care I don't care."

"My place?" Dani suggested in the usual teenage fashion of a nonchalant shrug.

Scarlet went to open her mouth when there came a sudden explosion from the gym. The three of them turned to the school as the sound of screams started ringing out across the school. "Just our bloody luck," she muttered under her breath. The one day that the Starla and Barry were out of town. She straightened up when she saw flash of black across the carpark. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Leon asked.

"Hunters," Scarlet answered from behind the bleachers. "Meta-human hunters," she explained. "They must be really desperate attacking a school in broad daylight."

"We're not the only gifted people in the school Scarlet," Leon told her. "There's like twenty other kids."

"Do you guys hold a support group or something?" Scarlet muttered. She pulled her new phone out of her pocket and dialed Starla.

" _Hey you've reached Starla, I can't take your call at the moment. You know what to do._ "

"Get your superhero ass to the school right now!" Scarlet snapped. "There are hunters here! They've attacked the school." She hung up, "son of a bitch!"

"What does Miss Lee have to do with this?" Dani frowned.

Scarlet took her jacket off and the vest she was wearing leaving the black shirt she wore with a Celtic triquatra on the back. "Stay here, someone needs to get those hunters out of the school." She handed Dani her phone. "Keep calling Starla until you get her." Scarlet pulled her hair back into a bun and slipped her sun glasses on her face.

"We're coming with you," Dani told her.

"Take everything off that makes you recognisable," Scarlet warned. She watched from the bleaches as two hunters brought out an unconscious cheerleader, home room bitch Kelly. She groaned and shook her head. "Why her?"

The Hunters loaded her up into a van.

Scarlet narrowed her eyes and crinkled her brow, trying to concentrate.

Suddenly the first Hunter shot the second hunter with a dart gun before he shot himself. The two dropped to the ground.

"That was pretty cool," Leon grinned. Flames wrapped around his fingers as sirens could be heard in the distance.

The three teens ran across the football field as another lot of Hunters came out with more kids. Dani threw an energy ball at them, it exploded at their feet, knocking everyone to the ground.

"RUN!" Leon told the kids.

Scarlet reached out and grabbed at the air, pulling the fallen Hunters along the ground before throwing them aside like the trash they were. "If we split up we lose contact with each other."

Dani patted her shoulder. "We keep fighting till the cops arrive."

Scarlet nodded. She ran off into the school, automatically going into the gym. She crouched down and slipped through the doors. The Hunters were bringing all the students and teacher's into the gym where they were being scanned with some kind of device.

" _Here's another one, Level 3 meta-human._ "

The woman behind the Hunter with the device shot a dart at kid around twelve. When he fell to the ground, a second woman came and attached some kind of collar around his neck, when it clicked into place, it glowed red.

Two others dragged him away.

Wanting to know what it was that they had scanning for meta-human's, Scarlet jumped out of her hiding place.

" _We got another,_ " one of the Hunters called out. " _They're coming to us in loads_."

" _Bring her over_ ," the guy with the scanner ordered.

Scarlet was brought over just as an explosion rocked the building. She waited as some of the Hunters in the gym took off to see what it was. The device beeped in front of her.

" _She's a meta-human,_ " the man spoke. He fell silent as the device beeped. " _Classification level 10. This is the one they want._ "

Scarlet snapped her hand out, grabbing him. Like Starla had done weeks ago, Scarlet forced her way into his mind.

The Hunter drew his sidearm and shot his partner in the head.

She spread her consciousness all over the gym, forcing her control over all the hunters. Never having spread herself so thin before, Scarlet's noise started to bleed. She tried to focus as her control slipped completely out of her hands. A blue force exploded outwards across the room, knocking everyone out in a single blow. Scarlet collapsed on the ground, blood coming from her ears and nose.

"Come on you," Leon grunted, picking Scarlet up off the floor of the gym. She grabbed the scanner off the floor and hugged it to her chest, thinking that the League would need it. Leon navigated the room full of unconscious Hunters and students, taking Scarlet outside. Dani hurried to help Scarlet put her outer layers back on as the police arrived.

Scarlet looked up, her nose bleeding and sporting a killer headache as a lightning bolt flashed by her.

The cavalry had arrived.

 **-XXX-**

By nightfall story of the attack on the school by terrorists had become international news. Across the world officials were singing the praises of the group of teens who had saved the school, freeing all those that were captured.

The Justice League and Young Justice League had been summoned to the Watchtower to discuss what had happened and to hunt down those responsible. Somehow the discussion had turned to Scarlet, Dani and Leon as well as Starla's refusal to let her join the YJL because she wasn't ready.

"Admit it, Mindwarp," Superman suggested. "The girl's ready to be trained and join the YJL. Keeping her as some kind of project isn't going to work. All three of them risked their lives today and saved a lot of people in the process. Controlling twenty-five people at once-not even you can do that."

"That's not what's up for discussion," Mindwarp snapped. "You asked me to bring her into my home and I did. We do this my way."

"I'll be happy to take her off your hands," original JL member and Star City's famous Shade grinned. "I'm sure anyone of us will. She's about Wolf's age. Same age as my son as well." Shade nodded at the Black Wolf, the teenage protegee of the Green Arrow, sitting beside her mentor.

The Green Arrow looked across at Shade and smirked. "We've got enough room in the mansion."

"Yeah thanks for that, Green Arrow," Mindwarp snapped. "I've been inside this girl's head and she hates herself. Is that really the kind of backup you want for your protégée's?"

"You've got something against Scarlet joining us?" Superboy asked. "I really don't think it's up to you."

"Her birth records," Cypher spoke up, "on what we've been able to find of them, has her eighteenth birthday in six months. You can't keep her locked up. I makes you no better than the hunters that chase after the meta-human kids. I know you mean well but the road to hell is pathed with good intentions."

"I suggest we take a vote," Nightwing spoke up as the two women glared at each other. "The team and I have discussed it and we'll be happy to take her. It's clear there's no lack of places for Scarlet to go, we're even refurbishing the rooms in Mount Justice. She's won't be alone. All for Scarlet, Danielle Oscar and Leon Thomas to join the YJL?" he called out.

All but four members of the combined teams put their hands up.

"Looks like you're out of luck," Pisces shrugged.

"Let it go, Mindwarp," Flash sighed.

"Back to the subject on hand," Batman ordered. "What do we intend to do about these hunters…?"


	8. Chapter 8

**++++++ I'm going to give you guys some advanced noticed here, my grandmother is dying and may have been given a few weeks left to live. They're doing more tests but the outcome is not good. So if you suddenly see me just vanish for a while-this will be the reason why.**

 **I'll be putting these notes on all my fics as I update.**

 **Thank you in advanced for your support.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Eight**

The first time that Scarlet stepped out zeta-beam she threw up everything in her stomach. Helping her to her feet, Barry laughed. "I was like this the first time I travelled. I think the only one that didn't throw up was the Big Three and Tessa."

Scarlet raised her eyebrow. She considered herself pretty well versed in most of the heroes in the League but she'd never heard the name Tessa before. "Who's Tessa?" she asked.

"You'll see later," Starla replied. It was obvious that the psychologist was less than happy with the arrangement at hand but given the fact she had no choice, Starla was letting her go. "Connor?" she called out, sensing that their group wasn't alone in the hanger.

A boy around the age of seventeen came from the shadows, he was wearing just a red shirt, cargo pants and a black shirt. "Starla."

"Scarlet Lords, this is Connor Kent," Starla introduced them, "he'll be sponsoring you."

"Bring a bag?" Connor demanded.

Scarlet turned a little so he could see the backpack she was wearing. "Yeah. Just like Starla said."

"It's just in case," Starla assured her, "sometimes after missions the team ends up staying her instead of heading home."

"I'll take it from here," Connor told Starla.

"But-" Starla started to object. Barry put his hand on her shoulder and steered her away.

Connor looked Scarlet up and down. She'd put on weight since he'd last seen her, she looked healthy now instead of skin and bones like she was last time. She still screamed defensiveness, mistrusting of everything in the room. "So you're in Mount Justice, just outside Happy Harbour in Rhode Island," he told her. "This is the hanger, you can use any one of the two zeta-tubes to get you where you need to go. As long as there is another zeta on the other end. There's another two in the mission room as well."

Scarlet nodded and looked around the huge metal room they'd just come in.

"From here we go to the locker room," Connor continued, "we usually suit up in there or clean up after missions. You've got a locker but it's blank until you pick a name."

He took her to the locker room and to a locker that had B28 on it. Beside her locker was B29 and B30 Lightwave and Pyro respectively. "Oh-when did Dani and Leon come through?" she asked.

"Yesterday," Connor answered. "Put your bag in the locker. Shower room is through there," he pointed, "training room is in here." The two of them walked through the door into the already occupied training room. Two figures were lying on a mat kissing ridiculously slowly. "Aren't you two supposed to be training not making out?" Connor frowned.

The two stopped and got up. "Connor," the boy frowned. He looked Scarlet up and down. "You're looking healthier than last time. Richard Greyson," he smiled, introducing himself. "This is my girlfriend Suki Queen."

Suki smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Scarlet," she replied. "I know you-you're Oliver Queen's cousin aren't you?"

Suki nodded. "Yup. Pretty amazed at what you and your friends did the other day, and with no training. I had to train for two years before I was even allowed out."

"Huh?" Scarlet frowned.

"We met your friends yesterday," Suki told her, "Lightwave kept calling you Psi. I like it, you should use it as your team designation."

"Enough chit chat, got take her on the rest of the tour," Connor frowned.

"We'll be in the library later," Suki smiled. "Come catch up with us later. We've got a ridiculously large amount of homework. Oliver's condition on me joining the team was that I keep up with my studies."

Connor all but practically dragged Scarlet away. He showed her the kitchen and the lounge, there were a few other kids in there joking and having a good time. Scarlet met Cassie Sandsmark, Barbara Gordon, Vigil Hawkins and Kaldur'ahm in the lounge. There was nobody in the library but as they made their way to the mission room another figure was walking along the corridor, head immersed in a book.

The girl looked up as Connor and Scarlet came up the corridor. "Connor," she spoke, "is this one of the new three?"

"Scarlet Lords this is Megan Morse," Connor introduced her.

"She's green," Scarlet deadpanned. "Like green, green. Like super green."

"Yes I hadn't noticed," Connor scowled.

"Are you well, Connor?" Megan asked him.

"Great," he muttered. "See you." Connor grabbed Scarlet's arm and pulled her long the corridor.

"So when did you two break up?" Scarlet asked him.

"None of your business," he snapped. The two came into the mission room where an older guy wearing red suit with a yellow T on the front stood working away on something. "Relax," he muttered. "This is Red Tornado. He's a robot. We got most of your specs in the system but he needs to get the rest of them so the zeta-tubes accept your designation."

"So when do I get to start?" Scarlet asked.

"That depends," Red Tornado answered. "Please take a seat."

Scarlet sat down as asked. She looked around the room trying to figure out what did what. It looked like something out of a science fiction novel. But then gain…she was living a science fiction novel.

"I'm done," Red Tornado announced suddenly. "Are you finished with the tour?"

"Just about," Connor answered. "Little Queen wants to get together to talk about their nails or some shit."

"Spend some time, get to know the others before you go back to Central."

"He's harmless," Connor assured her again as they walked out. "He's like our den mother. Looks after us."

"Why?" Scarlet asked.

"We guess that he wants to be more human," Connor shrugged. "You know-I thought you'd be madder at me."

"Again, why?" she frowned.

"I usually wear a shirt with a big red S on it," he replied.

"Oh you son of a bitch!" Scarlet hissed. She threw him against the wall and walked off. "I'll find my way around on my own thanks."

 **-XXX-**

When Suki Queen entered the library a few hours later, she found Scarlet sitting at one of the tables reading a book. "So have you given any thought to your name?" she asked, sitting down with her algebra textbook.

Scarlet shrugged. "I kinda like Psi. It's young."

She laughed. "Oliver would say it's lazy like teenagers are."

"What about you?" Scarlet asked.

"Me?" she frowned. "I'm the Black Wolf-"

"So that makes Oliver Queen the Green Arrow?" Scarlet sighed. "Well that explains a lot of things. His coming back to Star City and all of a sudden pointy objects start flying around-the girl he was on the island with? River Harper-she's gotta be Shade right?"

Suki laughed. "She's a worse teacher than Oliver. So tough. How on earth did you get the time to read the paper?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Some guy was throwing a TV out-it was still good so we stole it and hooked it up. One of the kids, Eddie, he's good with machines. So he got the power to run it. We watched it until it died."

"I could never imagine living the life you've lived," Suki frowned, "I feel terrible. When my mum died Oliver and is wife took me in. I was eleven. Suddenly I went from living in a one bedroom apartment in Hell's Kitchen to a mansion with more rooms than I could count. Must be like that with you living with Starla and Barry. She's a bit of a control freak hey?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. Don't get me wrong I'm grateful for them taking me in but how she expects everything to become right after living on the streets for six years."

"She means well," Suki shrugged. "She and Aunt River don't get along very well, Aunt River likes chaos theory. Oliver says her parents were super over protective as a kid. Sara doesn't get along with her very well either."

"Huh?" Scarlet frowned.

"Sara Harper," Suki replied. "She's dating Oliver's son, Robert. Sara is River's daughter. Sara's like her mum but she was raised in this life. Starla thinks it stunted her growth by being raised in such an environment. All of us."

"But Bart is a meta-human child," Scarlet objected.

Suki shrugged. "Don't tell me-it doesn't make sense. She's a good hero-bit warped in the head though. Good mum from what I understand."

The two laughed.

"So next bit of business," Suki grinned, "the suit. We all have one and you're gonna need one…Psi."


	9. Chapter 9

**++++++ I'm going to give you guys some advanced noticed here, my grandmother is dying and may have been given a few weeks left to live. They're doing more tests but the outcome is not good. So if you suddenly see me just vanish for a while-this will be the reason why.**

 **I'll be putting these notes on all my fics as I update.**

 **Now I'm sorry I didn't post last night, it kept saying the server was down.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Nine**

"Somebody please explain to me why I'm been dragged through Star City in the middle of a school day?" Scarlet demanded. She wasn't angry at the girls but more worried about what Starla would say, finding out she'd skipped a day of school.

"Woman has you wound up tighter than anything," Dani snorted, walking along casually without a care in the world.

"Just relax, Psi," Cassie grinned. "Trust me it's for a good cause. Besides, today was the only time that we could get you and Lightwave in at the same time. As long as the Big Three know where we are it's nothing to worry about."

"Fit us in where?" Scarlet asked. Both Scarlet and Cassie got along famously. Cassie, the protégée of Wonder Woman was bright, funny and bubbly. She loved to fight and was the best training partner anyone could have.

"Here," Barbara deadpanned.

"Here?" Dani frowned.

"Here," Suki repeated.

The five teenage girls found themselves standing in front of a warehouse in the middle of nothing.

"This is where dreams are made," Cassie grinned. "All of us come here."

"For what?" Dani frowned. "Apart from the serial killer experience?"

Barbara approached the door and pressed a buzzer to the side. She spoke and moments later the door was opened. She led them inside, as a hero, Batgirl was a natural leader, just like she was in civilian life. "We call this place the Outfitters. State of the art security, protected 24/7 by the JL space Watchtower. This is where we get our suits and weapons as well as repairs done and even our vehicles."

Scarlet gasped. The warehouse was fitted with state of the art security for a reason. The wall to her right was covered in the suits of all the league members including the YJL. "Oh my god."

Suki laughed. "It started with Oliver and Aunt River. They found a woman who made their suits for them. She agreed to make the suits for the JL and the YJL for a quarterly fee. Don't ask but it's paid for by the Big Three of Finances-Oliver, Aunt River and Bruce Wayne."

"Well hello little cousin," came a voice from the side. A rather tall blonde woman with the bluest eyes Scarlet had ever seen came over from a black SUV. She looked at Scarlet and Dani and grinned. "So these the new girls?" she asked. "Sara Harper," she smiled.

"Dani Oscar," Dani grinned.

"Scarlet Lords," Scarlet replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Getting your suit?" Suki asked her.

"My bow repaired," Sara answered. "Got totally shattered in my last fight. Lucky the Outfitter had some time to see me. Four bows in a month. She wasn't happy. So you'll be at the family gathering this weekend? Last time you were on duty."

Suki nodded. She looked to Scarlet, "it's the Queen-Harper-Allen gathering. We have them when we can. I think this is the first time all of us aren't on duty of some kind," she explained. "You guys well be coming. Barry said you would."

Scarlet frowned. "Starla never said anything."

"That woman," Sara muttered.

"Don't be rude," Barbara warned. "She has her reasons. Seeing your baby sister kidnapped when she was little takes its toll. Let her be over protective, Harper."

"You're early!" came a booming voice from above them. The teenage girls all looked up to see an older woman with silvery hair standing above them. "Come on up!"

When the girls got up to the second level, the woman grabbed Dani. "Nice to meet you, Danielle Oscar. Call me the Outfitter. Now-you went over your suit specifics with Greyson. I got your specs from RT."

"Um-thanks?" Dani frowned.

"So you can manipulate energy and turn invisible?" the Outfitter questioned. "Well, your outfit will be able to do that." She walked over to a table and yanked a black sheet off the table. Underneath sat the suit Dani would be wearing as Lightwave. "The usual way you turn invisible will do the same with your clothes."

To start with there was a black bikers jacket with shimmering bronze L's on either shoulder, underneath that was a bronze shirt with a black L in the middle of the chest followed by what looked like black cargo pants and the boots were black combat boots. There was also a bronze staff with black and white swirling orb on the top. "Woah," Dani gasped.

"The staff is a prototype," she warned Dani. "I'll get you back here in a month to give you the proper version, this is just to focus your powers more-I heard about the incident." She was in fact speaking about Dani's energy getting out of control whilst pushing it during training.

"Yeah thanks," Dani scowled. "So how exactly have you gotten away from the bad guys all this time? Someone would have figured it out?"

The Outfitter laughed. "I'm not exactly defenceless," she answered. "I live here. I don't like to go out. I have a zeta here and two apprentices. I also have fantastic defences-scientific and magical. Now anything else before I break out the tea and scones?" she snapped. "I fitted you in what should have been my break but today we don't get one. But by all means waste my time."

Dani shook her head. "Nope. Nothing else."

"MARCO!" the Outfitter barked. "Pack this and zeta it to Mount Justice! Now boy!"

A greasy teenager came literally out of nowhere, he cleaned his hands and started packing Dani's suit up.

"Now, the telepath," the Outfitter frowned. "I don't much care for blondes."

"Is that even relevant?" Suki scowled. "Just do what you're paid for."

"Too much like your cousin," the Outfitter observed. She crossed to another table and yanked the sheet off. Underneath the sheet were black and white knee high boots, the left was black and the right was white, a white skirt with a black midriff top, there was a white leather shrug jacket with a black triquetra on the back and finally black and white fingerless gloves. "Like all the outfits I make it's fitted with stealth tech." She showed Scarlet a black belt with a white triquetra on the buckle. "Push the buckle and the white becomes grey. Both your suits have scrambler tech as well. I'll have the final versions in a month along with the other girl's staff. MARY!" she screamed.

"WHAT!" the girl screamed back. Down on the floor there was a girl working on a green and black motorbike. "I'M BUSY!"

The Outfitter actually smiled at the girl screaming back at her.

The boy, Marco, came back and packed Scarlet's suit back up.

"If any of you see Ramon before I do," she scowled, "tell him he owes me about ten million in nanites. And tell Miss Lee her previous suit has been fixed. Now fuck off, all of you."

"She is delightfully charming," Dani frowned as they went down the stairs.

"Don't mind her," Marco muttered. "Brilliance is often angry."

"No fucking kidding," Dani snorted.

"Oh, here," the Outfitter frowned, throwing down two small boxes to Dani and Scarlet before she pushed them out. "Wear them, don't wear them, I don't give a fuck."

When they got outside, the door slammed beside them leaving them.

"Masks?" Dani frowned, opening her box.

"Yup," Scarlet nodded. She picked her white mask up, noting that there was a fine layer of plastic over the eyes. She'd ask about it later.

The girls stood there definitely looking like they didn't belong.

"So what do we do now?" Scarlet finally asked.

"We shop, what else?" Cassie grinned. "The whole day is ours."

"With what money?" Scarlet asked. "I don't know about you but I'm not exactly swimming in pennies let alone any kind of cash."

"Best thing about being a Queen heir?" Suki asked. "Everyone wants you to wear their latest fashion and put it out there. I've accounts all over, the lawyers pay the bills. As long as I don't go too crazy Oliver doesn't care. Now, like Cassie said-the day is ours ladies and I am starving."

"I didn't say that," Cassie laughed. She stopped as her stomach growled. "But come to to think of it I am kinda hungry."


	10. Chapter 10

**++++++ Oh, god, oh god, oh god! The countdown to Legends of Tomorrow is in single digits!**

 **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 ***cough, clears throat***

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Ten**

"One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong."

Sitting alone underneath a tree at the back of Queen Manor, Scarlet found herself in the company of a redhead with a British accent. This weekend was the weekend of the annual Queen-Harper-Allen gathering and whilst everyone was having fun and catching up, Scarlet was hiding in the backyard with a history book doing her homework.

The girl was only a few years older than Scarlet but she had this air about her that was…haunting. "You must be Scarlet," she smiled, "I'm Tessa Morgan-Lance. History homework on a day like this?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Like you said, one of these things is not like the other, one of these things does not belong." That morning when she'd arrived at Queen Manor Scarlet was in complete awe at the size of the house that Oliver Queen lived in with his family. It was about the same size as the high school she went to.

"It's pretty big hey?" Tessa laughed. "I grew up in a few places, all smaller than the kitchen in that house. But don't judge the family on their wealth, they're good people."

"So how do you know everyone?" Scarlet wondered.

Tessa grinned. "Laurel Lance-Morgan is my wife."

Scarlet paused. "Hang on…" She'd met Laurel Lance, she was in fact on of the first people she'd met when they got here, she was with her daughter Dinah who was only a few years younger than her. "Are you like the second wife?" she asked her.

Tessa laughed. "No. Laurel and I have been married for sixteen years. You'll never notice though. Maybe someday I'll explain it to you but for now the less people that know the better."

Scarlet frowned. She closed her eyes and focused on Tessa for a split second only for an atomic bomb to go off in her brain. Scarlet screamed and clutched her head, her nose bleeding like a tap.

Tessa shook her head. "Yeah probably not a good idea to ever do that again. Know River Tam from Firefly? Well I can actually kill you with my brain." She handed Scarlet a tissue. "To be perfectly honest I don't know why they didn't suggest I teach you-I would have been better."

"Starla isn't teaching me," Scarlet objected, cradling her head. "She's counselling me, not teaching me."

Tessa grinned. "Well today is your lucky day. On your feet," she ordered, getting up.

Scarlet stood up and wiped the blood away. "What are we doing?"

"Come with me," Tessa smiled. The two girls made their way down to the bottom of the property where they could be without distraction. Tessa took Scarlet to the little gazebo and lake that signalled the edge of the property. "So I want you to fling every bit of telekinetic strength at me that you have," she instructed Scarlet. "Every bit. Don't hold back."

"Um-okay," Scarlet frowned. She closed her eyes and focused on Tessa in her mind. Focusing her breath, her eyes snapped open and she threw everything that she had at the woman in front of her.

Tessa smirked at the pale wall of blue energy and shattered through it like it was nothing. She flung her arm out and a wall of energy slammed into Scarlet, sending her flying across the grass and straight through the wall of the gazebo.

"Well oops," Tessa muttered. She walked over to help Scarlet up out of the rubble. "I'm so sorry about that," she apologised.

Scarlet shook her head. "No. Don't be. I want to learn to do that."

She grinned. "Awesome. Now let's do this again and you're gonna wear this," she told her, pulling a neck tie from her pocket.

"Why do you have a neck tie in your pocket?" Scarlet asked her.

"Why not?" Tessa shrugged. She tied it around Scarlet's eyes, cutting off one of her senses. "You're going to have to rely on sound and scent. Too long you've been relying on your sight. Time to sharpen the rest of your senses."

"But what about Starla?" Scarlet asked her.

"A telepath should teach a telepath, a telekinetic teaches a telekinetic," Tessa replied.

"Thanks, Yoda," Scarlet frowned.

Tessa laughed. "In the spirit of Yoda, do or do not. There is no try." She patted Scarlet on the back and walked off. "Alright, Psi. Again."

 **-XXX -**

Starla found Barry and Bart out by the pool. She was looking for Scarlet in the hopes to introduce her to Moira and Shado Queen, Oliver and Felicity's twin girls who were the same age as her. "Have you seen Scarlet?" she asked her boyfriend.

Barry shook his head. "Nope. She said she was going to work on her history homework."

"I saw her wander off with Tessa," Sara announced. Sara was helping Robert Queen with the food prep for the night.

"They probably went down to the property line," Robert answered, cutting a pile of onions for the BBQ.

"If you're looking for mum she is with Scarlet," Dinah Lance-Morgan announced from beside the pool. "I think Katie went and followed them." She spoke of her little sister, Katie. When it came to Laurel and Tessa, Dinah had been birthed by Laurel and Katie had come when Dinah was seven, she was Tessa's child and as magical as her mother.

Starla sighed.

"Relax, Star," Barry grinned, "it's the weekend and we're getting away from everything. Me work, you promised you'd drop the teacher's attitude and leave it for the weekend.

"Yeah mummy!" Bart grinned.

Starla sighed. "You know I worry."

"Promise you won't worry about Bart like this when he's a teenager," Barry laughed.

Starla went to open her mouth to answer when a large explosion rocked the south side of the property. Barry grabbed her and the two of them took off towards the location of the explosion.

Scarlet was pulling herself out of the lake, her blue sun dress in tatters. Her nose was bleeding and her arm was dangling uselessly by her side but she was grinning.

Tessa rushed to the edge of the lake to help her out of the water. "This will hurt a little," she told the teenager. She grabbed her arm and gave her no notice before she popped it back into place.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Starla snapped.

Tessa waved her off. "Relax, princess. I'm helping her."

"Look what you've done," Starla growled.

"I did that," Scarlet proudly boasted.

Tessa nodded. "She did."

"I'm starving," Scarlet frowned.

Starla turned to Barry with a frown on her face. "And you told me not to worry about it. Of course I'm going to bloody worry."

Barry shrugged. "You act like you're the only one to ever worry about anything," he told her. "My nineteen year old sister went travelling through time with a criminal genius because she loved him. This is nothing."

 **-XXX-**

Standing on the roof of Queen Manor, River Harper shook her head with a frown on her face. "I don't understand this at all. I really don't. Scarlet would have been better placed with someone like Tessa or even myself."

Oliver sighed. "Bruce must have had a good reason to suggest Starla in the first place. It was his idea, maybe you should talk with him."

"Tried that," River replied. She leant over the railing, overlooking the property. "Something's going on here Oliver and that girl is the key to everything. She just doesn't know it yet. Human with just a splice of alien in her DNA cocktail, it's like she was designed…I don't like it at all..."

Oliver shook his head. "I don't ether. We'll just play it like we always do."

"By ear?" River asked.

"By ear," he replied.


	11. Chapter 11

**++++++ Please be easy on me. I'm breaking in a new laptop and it's weird.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Eleven**

Scarlet arrived home on Monday afternoon with Bart and Jessie in tow to find Starla cooking madly away in the kitchen and Barry zooming around the house madly cleaning. "What the hell is going on?" Scarlet muttered, looking around the house-it was spotless.

"Bags in rooms, now," Barry told them all.

Bart bit his bottom lip. "Is Grandma coming over again?"

Scarlet frowned. "Grandma?"

"The devil," Barry joked.

"Barry!" Starla yelled from the kitchen. "If I have to ask you one more time not to call my mother the devil we're gonna have some serious couch sleeping issues."

Barry sniggered but pointed to the stairs. "Star put clothes out on everyone's beds, change. Scarlet go have a shower."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow and went upstairs with the kids. After three months in the Lee-Allen household it was almost like a routine now but this was new. She'd never met Starla's mother before. She didn't even think she had a mother, more like she grew from a pod or something. She headed up the stairs and found a sky blue rockabilly dress on her bed with roses and unicorns on it and a sky blue pair of flats. Scarlet was beginning to like Barry's sense of style for a guy…that or he was helped by that assistant lady again.

Scarlet showered as Barry had asked, dressed and as she was unpacking her books from her bag to do some homework later, the doorbell rang. She headed over to her bedroom window and looked out. There was an old beat up Ford out the front parked behind Starla's car.

Just as she did that, her communicator went off.

The teenager answered it, an image of Suki was projected above the device. " _Hey Psi. Just checking in to let you know that you and me are on duty this weekend._ "

Scarlet's eyes lit up. "Really? But I've only been training for two and a half months!"

Suki shrugged. " _I'm just reading off the roster. It's you and me and the glorious National City all night. SB was supposed to be with you but he got his ass handed to him and then some. He's not up to it._ "

Scarlet paused. "Is he okay?"

" _He's brooding classic SB style,_ " Suki chuckled. " _Anyway, see you here Friday at 5:45. BW out_." The com went silent. 

Scarlet frowned and left her room, closing her bedroom door behind her before she went to find Bart and Jessie.

"Bart are you okay?" Scarlet asked the boy.

"Grandma doesn't like me," he frowned. "She doesn't want a meta-human grandson."

Scarlet frowned.

"Mr and Mrs Lee raised Starla protected and loved," Barry spoke from behind her, "they just didn't want it to run in the family anymore. Come on you three."

"Thanks for the dress, Barry," Scarlet smiled.

Barry winked. "That same girl again," he told her. "I think she's my go to girl for you from now on. Up front, superhero."

Bart walked in front of his father whilst Jessie took Scarlet's hand to follow them.

"I have patrol on Friday night," Scarlet told Barry win a whisper.

Barry nodded. "I know. I got the roster. We'll deal with that later."

The man and woman downstairs with Starla were in their late forties, early fifties. The male had greying black hair with a university professor look about him and the woman looked like Starla in twenty-six years' time.

"So these are the street children you're fostering?" the woman frowned, giving Scarlet and Jessie the look over.

Jessie hid behind Scarlet's leg.

"Scarlet Lords, ma'am," Scarlet spoke, "and this is Jessie Jackson. Nice to meet you."

"Mary Lee," she replied. "And this is my husband David." She quickly turned her attention away from Scarlet and Jessie and to Bart and Barry.

Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dinner is ready," Starla smiled, "I think you'll be surprised at the courses I've prepared." She showed everyone into dining room where there were already started meals on the plates. "It's an Aubergine and pomegranate salad," she announced. "For our mains we have a shellfish and cider stew followed by a desert of chocolate and caramel tart with hazelnuts."

Mary sighed. "Should have been a chef."

Scarlet sat down beside Jessie, as much as she wanted a mother who wouldn't have sold her out the first chance she got-no way did she want this kind of mother. She felt sorry for Starla-well only a little. She poked at the salad in front of her, it was a sweet tasting salad but she at it anyway. It was a habit she'd picked up on the street-eat what you can when you get it.

"So, Barry how is your sister?" Mary questioned, digging into her salad. "And her…children?"

"Charlie's good," Barry answered. "And the twins are good. They're spending some time with their father this weekend."

That's one family that Scarlet didn't understand. Charlie Allen was madly in love with a criminal genius who on occasion would assist the Justice League when it took his fancy. Out of that crazy love was born two crazy kids who had the same personality as their father but their mother's powers.

"Such a bad influence," Mary noted.

"Well everyone," Starla spoke, cutting into the dinner talk. "I have an announcement to make."

Mary put her fork down and elbowed David to do the same. "Has Barry finally asked you to marry him?"

"Leave it be mum," Starla sighed. "And no, that's not the news…Barry and I are having another baby."

"We are?" Barry asked her, brown eyes sparkling. He jumped up and kissed her.

"Mummy where to babies come from?" Bart suddenly asked.

"The stalk," Scarlet lied, eating her corn one by one.

"Well I think that's fantastic!" David declared standing up. He kissed his daughter on the head before he hugged her. "Congratulations, both of you. How far along are you?"

"Almost three months," Starla declared. "The baby is due in the middle of next year."

"And what about a marriage proposal?" Mary inquired.

"Mary, leave it alone," David sighed. "Just congratulations them and smile."

"In my day men and women didn't live together let alone have children without marriage," Mary huffed.

"I'm curious if that makes him a fast lover or a slow lover?" Scarlet wondered without realising she'd said it out loud and not in her head.

Barry spat out the wine he was drinking and started coughing.

"Mummy what's a lover?" Bart asked his mother.

 **-XXX-**

Everyone was asleep in the Lee-Allen household when Scarlet snuck out at midnight. She caught a bus out to STAR Labs and used the zeta-beam to get to Mount Justice. Scarlet had never been here at this time of night, she was usually here on an afternoon or during the day where it was busy.

In the middle of the night it was like a ghost town. As far as she knew it was only Connor and Megan living here but Megan was on duty tonight. Scarlet made her way to Connor's room and sat down by the door, opening a book up. Connor was her sponsor, her teacher and her partner and she didn't even know he had been hurt. She pulled out a book she was supposed to be reading for English and started reading it, answering the questions in her textbook as she went.

The girl wasn't sure what time she'd even fallen asleep but she woke up the following morning, she wasn't outside in the corridor but lying in someone's bed. Scarlet yawned and pulled herself out of bed, almost tripping over a pile of mess belonging to a teenage boy.

"You project when you sleep," Connor noted, watching her from across the room.

Scarlet jumped. "Sorry?"

"You project when you sleep," he repeated. "It was like watching a movie right in my head."

Scarlet's eyes grew wide.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what I saw. I figured when you woke up the two of us could go let off some steam-there's a factory that's a trade-off point for meta-humans. Wanna come hit something?"

"But, aren't you hurt?" Scarlet objected.

Connor waved her off. "You wanna hit something or not?"

She nodded and followed Connor to the locker room. She knew she was in trouble for sneaking out but right now she was too excited to care.


	12. Chapter 12

**++++++ Another day, another chapter.**

 **Please enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Twelve**

"Where are we?" Psi frowned as she snuke through the night on the city rooftops. "Looks like Chicago."

"That's because it is Chicago," Superboy replied. "That's what we're looking for," he spoke, pointing to a warehouse underneath them. "Intel says that there's a shipment of kids coming in tonight. There's Kryptonite all around the perimeter so you're going to go in set off this." He handed her a small device. "It's dispersal unit, it will block the Kryptonite somewhat and let me in. All we have to do is deal with the initial attack and the league will clean up the rest."

Psi took the unit and placed it in the pocket of her jacket. She was keeping a calm face but deep down she was so excited that this was her fist mission out in the field. Focusing all her energy on the mission was all that she could do to stop herself from dancing around. "Okay," she nodded.

"Take the stairs," Superboy replied. "You're not ready to go jumping off roofs are you?"

Psi laughed. "And let you have all the fun?" She stepped up over the ledge, "I used to jump off roofs for fun back in Hell's Kitchen." Psi turned and fell backwards off the roof, spinning her body in the air until she hit the ground cushioned by a telepathic bubble.

Superboy cocked his head to the side and shook his head. "Show off," he muttered.

Psi giggle and waved at him. She pressed the symbol on her belt and her whole suit went dark. She took cover behind a car and peeked over to look at the fence line. She watched as a truck turned into the alley and towards the warehouse. She took a moment before launching herself up and over the fence, landing on the ledge above her.

"Definitely a show off," Superboy muttered.

Psi took the item from her jacket and threw it with good aim.

It landed on the ground with a thud, in the middle off all the shouting and running around, no one noticed it as it beeped. The device glowed and launched itself up in to the air before it exploded.

Superboy grinned as the green glow of Kryptonite was dulled. He launched himself into their air and landed on the ground in middle of the compound. "Do you have a moment of time to talk about our lord and master, Cthulu?"

Psi laughed to herself and jumped from the ledge, right on top of the guard below. She punched him in the face, knocking him out. "I guess not." She got to her feet and threw the guy closest to her straight into a truck.

Skidding around the corner, Psi came to a stop seeing two teenagers standing there wearing black. "Jason!" she gasped.

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't know you lady."

The other teen with him glared at Psi and suddenly her eyes glowed red.

Psi chuckled. "Yeah, nice try sunshine." She narrowed her eyes and the teen started screaming.

Jason raised a dart gun at her and Psi managed just in time to deflect it away from her. He fired again and again and again until he was out of darts to fire.

"Nice try, dickhead," she smirked, flinging him away. Psi clutched her head and stumbled backwards. She could hear voices whispered in her head and all of a sudden she was very, very mad.

"Psi! Focus!" Superboy ordered.

Psi waved her hand, throwing Superboy away from her and through the wall. "OH god it feels good to knock them down a peg or two." She pulled her hair out of her braid, shaking it loose. "Men," she hissed, "fucking men!" she snapped.

Superboy picked himself up. "Okay…not cool Psi. Pull yourself together."

She grinned and twirled her hands together, gathering a wind between the two of those tiny hands just like Tess had taught her.

"Damnit," Superboy muttered. She threw him through the fence line laughing. He picked himself up. "Why am I letting this chick throw me around?" he grumbled. Launching himself at Psi, he grabbed her and threw her at the wall-hard.

Psi groaned when she hit the floor, picking herself up whilst she clutched her head. "What the hell?" she frowned. "Man I'm gonna ache in the morning."

"You can go now," came a voice from the shadows. Batman emerged from the darkness looking as stoic as ever. "We'll take it from here. There's someone waiting at Mount Justice for you."

Superboy put his arm around Psi's waist and took off into the air.

 **-XXX-**

When Scarlet came out of the locker room she could hear the sound of yelling coming from the hanger bay. As if she didn't recognise that yell. The teenager shook her head and headed out only to find Megan waiting outside.

"Starla is furious," she muttered to her, "incredibly angry. I don't know why, you did good out there. Helping those kids.

"I got wammied," Scarlet frowned.

Megan shrugged. "Happens to the best of them. Admittedly I am jealous that you took to your first mission with the gusto that I wish I had."

"Relax Starla," Connor frowned, "Scarlet did pretty amazingly actually. She can think pretty well on her feet."

"She looks ill," Starla protested, arms crossed. There was just her and Barry, Connor and Richard there.

Scarlet waved it off with a laugh. "I did get wammied there for a second but a quick cranial recalibration fixed it."

"A what?" Megan frowned.

"A knock to the head," Connor chuckled.

Barry frowned. "Um-did you say you got wammied? Connor-what exactly happened?"

"There was a kid there," Connor replied, "he was a meta-human but he worked with the hunters. His eyes glowed red and everyone seemed to get really mad all of sudden. Like overly emotional."

"Empath," Starla frowned. "Scarlet are you sure you're alright? Empath's are dangerous."

"I'm fine," Scarlet objected. "Jesus. You're not my mother, you can't just show up here and turn the mother switch on. Stop trying to mother everyone else and focus on your own damn kids."

"I'm only trying to help," Starla objected.

"Nobody likes you, you know?" Scarlet snapped suddenly, advancing on Starla. "You're a good for nothing, vicious little control freak who has to control the thoughts and feelings of everybody else."

"Sc-Scarlet," Starla frowned.

"A deceitful, lying slut," she hissed, pushing her backwards. Scarlet's eyes were glowing red as she advanced on Starla. "Has to make sure that she's always right…pushing and pushing and pushing…forcing me to remember day after day after day of being raped and assaulted and forced to do go knows what. The only difference between them and you is that you rape the mind and they rape the body."

"Scarlet that's enough!" Barry snapped.

Scarlet turned on him and flicked her wrist, flinging the speedster away. She turned back to Starla as she was pinned against the wall. "Shall we rape your mind as well?" she snapped. She raised her hand and placed two fingers on Starla's head.

Starla screamed as Scarlet forced her way into her mind. She fell to her knees, eyes widening as the teenager forced images into her mind. She screamed grew louder and turned into wails. "Not so nice is it?" she hissed.

Connor grabbed Scarlet from behind and tried to budge her but she wouldn't move. The telepath threw him away like he was just a fly. She turned back to Starla and lifted her in the air with just a finger before she threw her across the hanger.

Barry flashed over to her to check her pulse, she was awake and staring off into the distance but she seemed to be in a state of shock. "I've got three broken ribs…Connor help me get her to the medical bay and call Cypher here, now! Her pulse is weak and fading…"

Scarlet stumbled backwards, clutching her head.

"Richard, move!" Megan ordered, jumping out of the way as a zeta tub activated. Scarlet jumped through the zeta not caring of her destination but only that she get away from everything.

 **-XXX-**

"Bed, _volk_ ," Oliver ordered. "Now!"

Suki sighed, she was working on a history essay for class and was almost finished. "One more minute, Ollie!" she begged. "This is an A+ for sure."

"It better be," Oliver chuckled from his study.

Suki stuck her head back into her laptop as there came a knock on the door. "Son of a bitch," she muttered. "I'll get it!" she yelled. The teenager stood up, stretching her aching legs and went to the door. Like she'd been taught, Suki checked through the blinds first to see Scarlet standing there dripping wet. "Ollie!" she yelled.

Oliver came out of the study as Suki let Scarlet inside. "What?" he frowned. "Jesus-Scarlet are you okay?"

"Can I come in?" Scarlet whispered. "I think I killed Starla…"


	13. Chapter 13

++++++ Another day, another chapter.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, there's a special surprise in it.

I do not own ++++++

Thirteen

It was just after midnight when Oliver Queen stepped out of the zeta tube and into the Justice League space station Watchtower. Walking the familiar pathway to the medical bay he came across his eldest, Robert and girlfriend Sara sitting out the front of the medical bay playing cards.

"Dad!" Robert exclaimed, seeing his father for the first time in months. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone please explain to me what happened?" Oliver frowned. "I've got a hysterical teenager in my house and frankly I am not used to it. Scarlet's under the impression that she killed Starla."

"She almost did," Connor replied from the doorway.

Sara sighed. "Barry will be happy to know Scarlet's at your place, Uncle Ollie,"

"So what are you two doing here?" Oliver questioned.

"We were in the training rooms when we heard the fuss," Robert shrugged. "Starla's never been injured on a mission before that requires blood so the doc's cross matching blood as we speak. We thought we'd see if we were a match."

"Tell me what happened," Oliver responded again.

Connor told him about the meta-human kid who had used his empathic gift on Scarlet who in turned used it on both himself and Starla. "Basically she's got broken ribs, bleeding into her lungs and the doc's checking to make sure she didn't loose the baby. Your wife is inside trying to find a match."

Oliver let himself into the medical bay where Barry sat beside Starla's bed talking in soft tones to her. "Never a dull moment," he frowned. "In case you're wondering, Scarlet is at my place. Suki gave her something and she's sleeping."

Starla winced but breathed a sigh of relief. "I should have listened," she frowned, "I was stupidly determined to fix her. And she could have killed us both. Some people can't be fixed." She lay back on the bed, pale and hooked up to a few machines.

"Congratulations on the baby by the way," Oliver nodded. He turned his head when he heard his wife groan in frustration. "Babe?" he called.

"Starla is AB-," Felicity answered, "I'm searching the records for members with AB- blood to borrow some and I keep getting blocked! As if I don't have clearance! I helped make you and you shall listen to your queen!"

"She's been doing this for like ten minutes," Barry sighed. "Is Scarlet okay?"

Oliver shrugged. "In Suki's terms she's totally freaking out but I told her she could stay for a few days whilst I tried to sort things out."

"OLIVER!" Felicity yelled from across the room. She came running over with her tablet in her hands, "I found a match." She handed the tablet to Oliver with her eyes wide in shock. "And why it was being blocked."

Oliver took the tablet from his wife and froze. "This is a DNA match."

"A what?" Starla asked. "Why would the system have a DNA match for me? Who is it to?" Oliver handed her the table and she found herself staring at a picture of Scarlet with DNA MATCH written across the bottom. "This isn't funny!" she snapped.

Felicity held her hands up. "I didn't do anything, I swear. It was blocked and I hack it, that's what came up. She's a DNA match and a blood type match to you."

"My sister?" Starla frowned. She looked at the screen and flicked it across to read the second page. "Oh my god!" she gasped.

Barry looked over her shoulder. "Alien DNA?"

Oliver cleared his throat and shifted. "That I already knew about. Both River and I knew that Scarlet had alien DNA."

Starla glared at Oliver. "If I didn't ache all over I'd kick your ass, Queen."

Felicity snorted but didn't say anything. She took her tablet off Starla. "Someone has to tell Scarlet."

"Why?" Barry asked.

Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Because. Obi-Won should have told Luke he was Vader's son. Scarlet deserves to know. You two should stay out of it for a while. I'll get Barry to collect Scarlet's clothes and she can stay with us for a while. We'll sort schools out as well."

"Shouldn't you really be asking about the alien DNA?" Sara spoke from the door. "We've run into a few alien species in the years. So who's your daddy?"

"We'll have to sort that out on another date," Oliver frowned, seeing Starla's face drop. "Right now the doc has got to focus on other things."

Felicity tucked the tablet under her arm, "okay…here's the plan. I will speak with Scarlet in the morning when she wakes up. Oliver, you and River tag-team Bruce and find out why he blocked me. Barry, you go back home and get Scarlet's clothes, bring them back and we'll settle Scarlet in at Queen Manor for the next few months. Either that or she can live in Mount Justice with Megan and Connor."

Everyone nodded.

"All right, you have your assignments…off you pop," Felicity ordered.

-XXX-

The following morning Felicity found Suki and Scarlet in the kitchen making breakfast with Moira and Shado. The twins were trying their hardest to make Scarlet smile ending up with Moira on the floor with literal egg on her head.

"Good morning girls," she smiled. "Can you give me the room? I need to talk to Scarlet."

Scarlet frowned as the three girls headed out of the kitchen. She grabbed Suki's arm before she walked out. "Please stay."

Suki looked at her aunt and she nodded. "Okay."

Felicity handed Scarlet the tablet. "Okay, so first things first, Starla is alive. She's hurt but she's alive." She watched Scarlet breath a sigh of relief and continued, "second thing is that why we were looking for a blood type for Starla since hers is AB-, we found a familial match with you."

Suki gasped. "Oh my god…Sara said that Starla's baby sister was kidnapped when she was a child…Scarlet?" she whispered, turning to look at the girl.

Scarlet was incredibly silent.

Felicity nodded. "Yes, correct. You're Starla's sister, you both have the same parents…then this is where it get's super complicated…you both have alien DNA."

"What?" Scarlet frowned. "We both have alien DNA?"

"All that and this is your takeaway?" Suki asked her.

Felicity smiled. "Well, this brings us to our next bit of news, Oliver and I have agreed that you can stay here with us for as long as you like. We'll enroll you at Saint Jude's Academy with Suki and the twins. Given what happened-"

"Yes!" Scarlet cut in. "I would prefer to stay here with you…Jessie…I can't separate her from Bart…"

Felicity nodded. "Good. If this is the case then, Oliver will bring back your clothes and school stuff. I'll make an appointment with the headmistress for tomorrow and we can start transferring you over. In a few days we can maybe look at getting together and you two can sort this out. I never thought I'd say this but Starla is your sister. Would you like to see her?"

"No," Scarlet answered coldly. "That woman…she is not my sister...anymore than the alien who donated his DNA is my father. Thank you for all your help, Mrs Queen. I'm going to lay back down." She stood up and left Suki and Felicity standing in the kitchen with matching confused looks on their faces.


	14. Chapter 14

**++++++ So this chapter is a little bit of a filler but basically the action will start next chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Fourteen**

"Where are Suki and Scarlet?" Oliver questioned.

Standing in the kitchen making an English breakfast, Felcity waved the spatula at the window. "Outside," she answered.

It had been just over a month since Scarlet had been living at Queen manor, frighteningly Suki's grades had dramatically improved and she was getting into less trouble and she was more focused on her work with the YJ than she had ever been before.

Oliver sighed. "When does everyone start getting here?"

"Well River said that Teddy and Sage will come home this afternoon after school with Suki and Scarlet," Felicity answered. "Starla and Barry will be here with Bart and Jessie around four. River and Roy will come after work. Everyone else will be here in the morning."

"I don't mean to exclude Barry and Starla from anything but is it a good idea?" Oliver asked. "I could easily pull some strings and get Scarlet on duty with Connor this weekend."

"Maybe do that in the morning," Felicity suggested. "See how it plays out.

The outside door to the dining room opened and Suki came in with Scarlet, both dressed in the white blouse, red tie and red and black tartan skirt of Saint Jude's Academy. "We were just feeding the fish," Suki explained, "sorry Ollie."

Oliver smiled. "That's okay. Listen…Scarlet I'm just letting you know that Starla will be here this weekend."

"Figured," Scarlet shrugged. "I can avoid her if she can avoid me."

"What I can do is that if the night doesn't go well," Oliver started, "you can stay at Mount Justice for the rest of the weekend. Okay?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Might be for the best. Thanks for looking out for me Oliver. I know I haven't given much reason to trust me but it means a lot."

Oliver nodded. "Glad to help, Scarlet."

"Can I go?" Suki pleaded. "Please, Ollie?"

"I can't see why not," Oliver shrugged. Little did he know that Richard had traded shifts with Barbara that weekend so it would be the two girls plus Connor and Richard.

"Go get ready for school," Felicity told them, "Diggle has errands in town so he said he's take you this morning. Moira left for school already, drag Shado out of bed if you can."

Oliver sighed as the girls ran out of the kitchen.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"We need more testosterone around here," Oliver huffed.

 **-XXX-**

Starla and Barry arrived at Queen Manor about four thirty that afternoon. Bart and Jessie ran off the moment they got there and the two adults found Oliver and Felicity in the manor gym.

"Hey you two!" Felicity huffed, punching Oliver in the face.

"Don't think that because we're married," Oliver replied, flipping her legs out from underneath her, "that I won't knock you on your ass!"

Felicity hit the ground, hard. She grabbed Oliver's ankle and pulled him down to the ground before straddling his chest.

Starla laughed. "Look at them, Barry."

Barry chuckled. "God I remember meeting Felicity and thinking whoa she's the female me. Then I found out she could hack computers with her brain and it got super weird."

Felicity shouted out as Oliver wrapped his legs around her and threw her off him. She rolled across the mat and came to a stop. "Oh it's on like Donkey Kong, Queen."

"Time out!" Barry shouted. "Before you bring the house down!"

"Hey Barry!" Felicity grinned, running over to hug him. "Glad you could make it."

"How's my sister?" Starla asked. "Is Scarlet okay?"

Felicity nodded. "She's amazing. Always helping out. She's rather smart and she assures us that she's not using her gifts to be top of the class. Even Suki's grades have improved. Scarlet likes to read."

"Can I go see her?" Starla asked. "I think it's time we sort things out. Maybe she'll ever agree to come see our mother."

"Before you go," Felicity smiled, "girl or boy?"

"Early blood tests say girl," Barry grinned, "we're gonna call her Nora. After my mum."

Falicity grinned. "Barry I am so happy for you guys. Congratulations. Now, if you're looking for Scarlet, she's in the dining room. Oliver go with her," she instructed.

Oliver untapped his hands and followed Starla into the dining room where Scarlet was studying.

"Scarlet?" Starla whispered.

Scarlet looked up from the dining room table where she was doing her chemistry homework. "Oh-it's you. Oliver said you were coming," she muttered.

"I wanted to talk to you," Starla smiled softly.

"Surprise, surprise," Scarlet huffed, "that's all you ever want to do. I'm kind busy with my chem homework. Do you mind?"

"This will only take a minute," she replied. "I've been thinking a lot about our current situation. Us being sisters and all…well I'd like it if you were to come and speak with our mother…together."

"Nope," Scarlet answered, popping the p. "I'm perfectly fine here, actually. Oliver and Felicity are being incredibly nice to me and I've got perfect A's in school. I like it at Saint Jude's."

Starla cleared her throat. "No one said anything about moving."

"I'm seventeen," Scarlet answered. "Which means legally that woman can come here and take me away. I don't want to go away. I want to stay here. In a few months I can find my own place or I'll move into the base. I don't need your help, Starla."

"I want to help," Starla replied. "You know…when you were born the first thing dad did when he left the hospital is put a fifty in a trust fund for you. He said to me a year ago that every week he's put a fifty for you and a fifty for me. I got my trust fund when I turned 18. It will help, Scarlet. I promise."

"The answer is no!" Scarlet snapped, turning around. "Make the change, Oliver," she huffed, walking past him as he hovered in the doorway. She marched up the back stairs and on the way managed to bump into Theodore Harper or as he liked to be called-Teddy.

"Hey, Scar," he grinned, pulling his headphones out. "Listening to _Skillet's_ new album. Wanna listen?"

"I wanna hit something," she muttered, running up the stairs.

"Hey, Scar," Teddy called out, catching her as she got to the landing. "I was wondering if you'd come with me and a couple of the guys to the _Coffee Cookie_ tomorrow?" he asked. "It's just a bunch of guys and some of the girls."

Scarlet grinned. "I'd love to, Teddy. But I kinda got duty this weekend. Me and Suki are spending the weekend at MJ."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Buzzkill," he joked. "What about Monday? After school?" He ran up the stairs and got to the landing. "It'll be just us…like a date?"

Scarlet blushed. "Um-okay. Sure Teddy."

Teddy grinned. "Wicked."

"Teddy's got a girlfriend!" Sage screeched from above them.

"Get lost, Sage!" Teddy snapped.

Scarlet giggled, she had a soft spot for Sage Harper, as crazy and as insane as she was, she had a great personality and outlook on life despite her criminal parentage. Sage was the daughter of Harley Quinn and the Joker, brought to River and Roy by Bruce Wayne to raise as their own.

Sage laughed and jumped down from the beams in the roof where she liked to hang out when she was here. She landed on the banister and jumped again, landing on the floor before running off, her pale blonde hair flowing behind her.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "She's a few cards short of a full deck."

"See you Monday, Teddy," Scarlet grinned, heading back to her room to pack.


	15. Chapter 15

**++++++ A little harmless teenage fun :)**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Fifteen**

"EVERYBODY STAY CALM! I HAVE ARRIVED!"

Connor looked at the door over the top of his glass and scowled. "Great, Dick, your girlfriend is here…and she brought her crazy alien friend."

Scarlet winked and Connor's drink exploded in his face. "Oops."

Suki giggled. She dropped her bag on the floor and practically skipped over to Richard who was reading a book on chemistry. "Afternoon, lover," she smirked, leaning in to kiss him.

Scarlet rolled her eyes and went to help herself to a drink. "I feel used," she muttered, "used and abused."

Connor snorted. "It's not the first time they've traded to be with each other. With Dick in Gotham and Suki in Star City they complain how hard it is to have a long distance relationship. Well," he shrugged, "she complains, he sits there and reads."

Scarlet came and sat down on the couch and pulled out her homework-history this time. She was buried in it whilst Suki chatted toe Richard, occasionally they two of them would suck each other's face facehugger style.

"Why exactly are you hiding out here?" Connor asked Scarlet as she was reading up on Ancient Rome.

"It's the Queen-Allen-Harper family gathering," Scarlet shrugged, "I have no desire to hang around whilst Starla tries to get me to speak with my egg donor."

"Even your issues have issues," Connor smirked. "But I'm glad you're okay."

"My issues most definitely have issues," she sighed, "but I think I'm getting better."

"Do you wanna play a game?" Suki whispered with a grated voice in Scarlet's ear making her scream.

"A big giant fuck you to introducing me to those _Saw_ movies!" Scarlet gasped.

"Spin the bottle?" Suki grinned.

"Suki, hun," Richard frowned, "last time that didn't end well."

"Fine," she huffed, "truth or dare."

Connor shrugged. "Okay. Truth or dare…whatever it is."

"It is what she says it is," Scarlet told him, "truth or dear. She'll use that bottle and whoever it lands on will answer the phrase truth or dare. If they pick truth-you must answer with the truth. If you say dare she's probably make your fly around the world naked and there is nothing you can do about it. If you pick truth and you don't want to answer it you have to do a dare. Likewise, if you pick dare and you do not want to do it you must answered with the truth."

Richard shook his head from behind Suki and mouthed don't do it.

"Chicken," Suki teased, "buck, buck, buck."

"Fine!" Connor snapped.

The four teens sat down on the floor and Suki proclaimed since she was the Queen-literally-she claimed first dibs on the bottle. Spinning it, Connor groaned when it landed on him. Suki smirked. "Pick your poison, Connor."

"Truth," he replied.

"Do you like my blonde friend over there?" she asked him. "Pretty little Scarlet?"

Scarlet blushed.

"Dare," he snipped.

"I dare you and Scarlet to hide in the supply closet and do seven minutes in heaven!" Suki smirked.

"Hey!" Scarlet snapped. "Since when did I get pulled into this? Bad enough you dragged me into this in the first place."

"Since now," Suki shrugged. She pointed to the supply closet door and with reluctance the two teens got up and trudged over to the closet. She closed the door behind them, trapping them in the little room.

"This is ridiculous," Connor muttered.

"You have a very broad chest," Scarlet frowned, slapping Connor's chest. "Just like your clone or whatever he is."

"Less talking, more kissing," Suki snapped through the door. "The bottle commands it."

"This was your stupid idea to start with!" Connor argued.

"She's not going to leave us alone," Scarlet sighed.

Connor was quiet for a little while before he spoke. "The other day…when you were in my room and you were projecting…did you really do that to make sure those kids were fed and clothed?"

Scarlet looked away, she could only just make his features out in the darkness but she was sure that he could see her. "I had to. If I hadn't…they would have died. All of them…or had to do it themselves. I'm disgusted in myself but I'm also proud. Those kids are live because of me…" She snorted. "That woman…Mary Lee…if she could see what her daughter has done she'd never accept me. An alien half breed who whored herself out to survive." She laughed, it was a kind of bitter laugh. "You should be so lucky that you don't see the world like I do."

"Less talking, more kissing," Suki snapped through the door a second time. "The bottle commands it."

"You said seven minutes in heaven!" Scarlet snapped. "The rules of the game state you can do whatever in those seven minutes so if I choose to talk than by god I will talk!"

"Buzzkill!" Suki snapped.

Scarlet shook her head. "You should see her at school. Little miss rules the school. She has people that fetch things for her? Did you know that? Queen by name, Queen by nature." She cleared her throat, "can I ask why you didn't answer the truth? I mean I know I'm not the best looking girl on the block with Mr Clone of Superman, perfect in every way but I have feelings too you know."

"Scarlet?" he spoke.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Shut up," Connor frowned.

Scarlet sighed. "Me from four months ago would not be worrying about seven minutes in heaven that's for sure. More like where the next meal came from and how I was going to get it. Sometimes I envy the Queen's and the life they lead-"

Connor shut her up and pressed his lips against hers.

Scarlet squealed and pulled away. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It seemed to be the only way to shut you up," Connor replied.

Scarlet licked her lips and kissed him a second time. This time he started exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue in a teenage frenzy of passion. He put his hands on her waist and slipped it up underneath her bra. She moaned a little as he deepened the kiss.

Connor pushed her back against the door, pinning her there.

"Connor let me go!" Scarlet whispered. "Stop!" Her powers flung him back through the wall as the closet exploded outwards. Scarlet's eyes widened in terror and she fell back out of the closet gasping for breath.

Suki ran over to her and helped her up. "Sweetie are you okay?" she whispered.

"Never make me do that again," Scarlet hissed.

"Would you four for a second take something seriously?" snapped Megan suddenly. "Honestly!" Standing in the doorway she taped her foot on the cold metal floor and waited. "Your assistance has been requested in locating lost hikers in Yellowstone National Park before the volcano erupts."

"Well isn't that just great?" Suki sighed. "No offence but me and Richard don't have super powers."

"We're going to locate the hikers," Megan explained. "Connor and Scarlet will monitor the volcano. It's suspected to not be a natural incursion. It's up to them two-fire and Martians do not mix."

"Great," Suki sighed. She got up and grabbed Scarlet's hand, dragging her to the locker room to change.

"How exactly do we get to Yellowstone?" Scarlet asked her.

"Well I'm flying," Suki shrugged, getting to her locker. "Your telekinetic…ever thought about trying to fly yourself?"

Scarlet frowned. "No…I never really thought about it. But it would be cool." She opened her locker and started to strip down, still feeling the tightness of Connor's grip on her arm.


	16. Chapter 16

**++++++ Just a quick note letting you guys all know as of Friday I will be going away for a few days so there will be NO updates from Friday 26th Feb to Tuesday 2nd March. That's factoring in washing and unpacking when we get back as well.**

 **Anyway...I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Sixteen**

"Does it hurt?" the doctor asked her.

"A little," Scarlet frowned. She winced when the doctor touched the steam burns on her arm and almost instantly regretted. "Okay a lot." Scarlet had been blasted with a shot full of boiling steam, she'd managed to block most of it but her shield cracked and her entire arm was burnt and blistered. When Scarlet had come to, she was in Connor's arms as he walked through the corridors of Mount Justice.

"So you must be Scarlet Lords?" she asked her. "I'm Doctor Bierezz Palmer, nice to meet you. I apologise for your first meeting when you arrived. I was in Hong Kong on business otherwise you would have awoken to a much calmer environment."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow as the good doctor worked on her arm. She looked around, admiring the holographic environment she was in-a deserted tropical beach complete with the sounds and smells. "Yeah I can see how. This is amazing."

"My honeymoon was on an island in the Caribbean," the Bierezz explained. She picked up something to spray on Scarlet's arm. She watched as the teen tensed up and waited for the cool to set in. "This reminds me of that island." She sat the canister down on the tray and picked up a pair of medical tweezers. "Now I'm going to try and peal the scolded skin off if I can. Otherwise I may have to hit it again-you ready?" she asked.

Scarlet nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want anything for the pain?" Bierezz inquired. "I have something here if you like?"

"I'd rather not," she replied. "Just get it over with."

The doctor sighed and got to work on Scarlet's arm. She had been worried that there would be scaring but as she pealed the first layer of skin away, Bierezz froze. "That's impossible…gangrene should not be setting in at all."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Scarlet gasped, sitting up to look at her arm. There was a section of skin that Bierezz had started to delicately peel away and underneath it was a shade of green. "Holy crap!" Scarlet was in no way a medical doctor but she didn't think that green skin was okay.

The doctor bit her lip and continued to peal the skin away revealing more green underneath. "When Superboy called to tell me you were injured I pulled your file to take a look," Bierezz told her. "Alien DNA?" she asked her.

Scarlet shrugged. "I suppose so-wait do you think that the whole green skin is my alien DNA?" Truthfully she hadn't really given much thought to the whole alien DNA saga-she was more worried about perfect Starla.

"I may have an idea about your parentage," Bierezz told her. "Do you mind if I looked into it further?"

"I guess," Scarlet frowned. "Not that I'm interested. Whoever my father is-he doesn't seem to give two fucks that he's fathered two kids so go for your life."

"When your skin starts to heal, the green should go away," Bierezz smiled. "I'll give you a cream to rub on it twice a day for a week and the skin will come back better than ever. It needs to be bandaged afterwards-we've got green, blue or purple wrappings."

"Do I get a lollypop?" Scarlet teased.

"Cheeky monkey," Bierezz laughed. "If this gets worse in the next forty-eight hours call me on my com and I'll be at Queen manor as quickly as I can." She leant back and put some of the dead skin on a tray. She was concerned about the green tinge to her skin but continued to work away without letting Scarlet know she was worried.

 **-XXX-**

Mary Lee was sitting in her daughter's lounge room with a smile on her face. They were discussing Christening options for her unborn granddaughter and no matter how she tried to drop new names, Starla wasn't having any of it.

"Mum there's been something I need to talk to you about," Starla frowned. She ran her finger along the rim of her glass with a frown on her face. "It's about Sophie."

Mary froze. She hadn't thought about her youngest daughter in years, it was far too painful to even think about her stolen daughter. "When you were nineteen I asked you to never ask me about Sophie ever again. My daughter was taken from me-It's not something I want to know about."

"Why do I have alien DNA?" she asked her mother. Starla watched the blood drain from her mother's face. "I've been thinking about this a lot the past few weeks and I was never sick as a child so I never was in hospital."

Mary gulped. "I guess this was inevitable what with your extracurricular activities…" She sat her tea down on the table. "Your father's name was John. Both you and Sophie's father. I was barren and I could never have kids. Suddenly there he was like some kind of angel. David didn't care-we finally had kids…but…your father showed me a world of endless possibilities but his greatest miracle was you and your sister."

"Who is he mum?" Starla asked her. "Who is our father?"

Mary shook her head. "We can't have that discussion. I promised him. Even to this day I kept that promise. If your League is so special, you'll figure it out on your own."

"There's something else," she sighed.

"What?" Mary asked.

"Sophie is alive," Starla told her.

"Don't do that!" Mary argued. "Your sister is dead! It's the only way I could get by all those years. She's dead!"

Starla shook her head. "Sophie is alive. You met her, mum. Whoever kidnapped her when she was a baby changed her name to Scarlet."

Mary gasped, she clutched her hand to her chest. "What? That skinny girl that you were fostering? That's my Sophie?"

Starla nodded. "Yes. That's Sophie. A DNA test confirmed it."

"Where is she?" Mary sobbed. "Where is my baby girl?"

"In Star City," Starla answered. "There was an incident and she attacked me. She's living with Oliver and Felicity Queen and she doesn't want to meet you."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Mary half huffed, half cried.

Starla reached across the coffee table and shook her head. "Mum…Scarlet's been through a lot. She ran away from her so-called parents when she was thirteen and lived on the streets looking after other street kids. All meta-humans…mum Scarlet is a powerful telepath and telekinetic but she has an ugliness inside her that will overtake her. She's angry, she's hurt and she wants nothing to do with us."

Mary slumped back into the couch. "My baby…my little Sophie…oh my god she's alive…"

Starla nodded. "She's alive, mum…but I don't think she's the little girl you remember anymore."

"So what do I do?" Mary whispered. "The mother in me wants to march to Oliver Queen and demand my daughter back ASAP…why can't I? What's stopping me? She's still my daughter!"

"Scarlet will run," Starla assured her. "She will run and she has the powers to do so…just give her time and I'll approach her again. I promise but you needed to know." She got up and came around the side of the coffee table and sat beside her mother. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

But not even Starla believed that lie.


	17. Chapter 17

**++++++ And now I'm going to bed. It's 12.16 am.**

 **Seacrest out.**

 **I do not own ++++++**

 **Seventeen**

Oliver Queen sat in his study looking over the new plans for Queen Consolidated and Palmer Technologies when there was a soft knock on the door. He knew that knock-for the past fifteen years Moira had used that same soft knock every time she came in. "Moira? Honey are you okay?"

Moira was home sick from school today, over the weekend she'd gone from mildly ill to outright sick with a stomach bug. It was one of the reasons Oliver was home from work today and not in the office. Moira opened the door and yawned. "There's some woman in the foyer to see you, I was getting a drink so I answered the door. She says her name is Mary Lee."

Oliver got up. "I'll go see her." He closed his laptop and followed his daughter out into the foyer. "Go back to bed squirt." Oliver hugged her and planted a gentle kiss on her blonde head before she went up the stairs one at a time. Oliver rolled his sleeves up as he found the older woman sitting one a chair by the door-her focus was on that ridiculous family portrait Felicity had insisted they get a few years ago. "Mrs Lee?"

She looked over at Oliver and stood up. "Please accept my apologise for interrupting you during the day but I understand you know my daughter, Starla?"

Oliver frowned. "Would you like to join me in the kitchen? I can turn the coffee maker on."

Mary looked at her watch. "Thank you but I have an appointment in the city in an hour. My stay will be short." She stood up and followed Oliver into the sitting room. "My daughter Starla speaks very highly of you, Mr Queen. Even with your extracurricular activities…" seeing his face she smiled weakly, "…it's not hard to figure out all my daughter's friends have their secrets. She couldn't exactly have normal friends and a secret identity could she?"

Oliver shook his head. "I suppose not, Mrs Lee." Even Oliver's friends had eventually found out one by one-they'd either died or become a hero beside him. "If you're worried about Starla in her condition we've already had this discussion."

"I want to speak to you about my daughter Sophie," Mary told him.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Sophie?"

"My Starla said you know her as Scarlet," Mary answered. She wiped away a tear. "I wanted to see her but Starla said I shouldn't otherwise she'd run away again."

Oliver frowned. "Scarlet is settled, she's good friends with my cousin and my daughters love her. She's got good grades and she's completing her counselling with flying colours. She's not as much trouble as she was for Starla. Sure she had rules but I think if you were to uproot her now, she might run so yes I do agree with Starla's assessment."

"Is Sophie-" she stopped herself, "I mean is Scarlet-does she do what Starla does?"

"I think that's up to Scarlet to tell you if she wants to," Oliver informed her. "But there is something I want to ask you. So far we have three types of occupants on the planet-humans, meta-humans and aliens. With the mingling of the three groups we're getting half-breeds like both your daughters."

Mary bit her lip in the same manner that Scarlet and Starla did. "So you know?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes. I know. Most of us do know. Word travels fast. As of Saturday I have a friend who thinks she knows who their father is and she's going to confront him." Bierezz had told Oliver of her intentions but he was yet to hear from her.

"I'll tell you what I told Starla," Mary frowned, "I made a promise. I'm not telling you who their father is. I promise. It'll endanger them and endanger him."

Oliver rubbed his temple. "You see-Mrs Lee, I figured it out the moment Doctor Palmer told me that Scarlet's skin was green. His name was John Jones wasn't it? But he pronounced it differently-J'onn J'onzz?"

Mary gasped. "You know him?"

"Scarlet and I fight side-by-side with him," Oliver informed her. "I've known him for some time-in fact he delivered my twins. I think you need to tell your daughters otherwise the betrayal will be too severe."

"How can I tell my daughters when I promised I wouldn't?" Mary argued.

"I find the truth is better than nothing," Oliver admitted. "I've had my fair share of mistakes in my life, my fair share of lies but then I was blessed with a wife who loves me, three children and a huge extended family. Lies only alienate your family even more. I would know more than anything."

Mary cleared her throat. "Well thank you for your time Mr Queen." She stood up. 'I should be going or I'll be late for my meeting." She nodded her thanks and walked out of the sitting room just as the front door opened and let in three giggling girls.

Oliver had forgotten the girls had a half day. "You might want to stay in here," he warned her, walking out. "Afternoon girls."

"Hey dad!"

"Afternoon Ollie!"

"Hello Oliver!"

"I've got a client in here so can you mosey on upstairs?" Oliver asked them.

"Sure dad," Shado grinned. "Come on guys!"

Scarlet hesitated at the bottom of the stairs but she shook her head and followed Shado and Suki up the stairs.

"Hey twin!" Shado grinned seeing Moira hovering at the landing. She had a dark frown on her face. "Oh Moira-did you get in trouble for skipping school?"

"I know who your father is," Moira frowned as she stared at Scarlet.

"Who?" Suki and Shado gasped, looking at Scarlet who was suddenly very interested in the floor.

Moira stepped over to her and gripped Scarlet's hands. "Scar, we love you okay? Please don't leave us. Do you want me to tell you?"

Scarlet bit her lip and nodded. "I do. I need to know."

"Martian Manhunter," Moira answered. "J'onn J'onzz. I heard dad talking about it with that woman in the sitting room. He doesn't have a client in there. Mary Lee, your mother is here."

Scarlet ran over to the window and looked at the back of the woman who was walking to her car. "Man why does this shit happen to me?" she muttered.

"Dude that mean's Megan is your cousin," Suki teased.

Moira raised an eyebrow. "I half expected a meltdown, Scar. What's wrong?"

"This shit keeps getting piled on me so much it's getting boring," Scarlet frowned, "with each cliff-hanger that is dumped on me it's getting harder and harder to respond the way that people want me to. Boom you have a sister. Boom your part alien. Boom your father is one of the most important people in the Justice League."

"Wow I think you broke her Moira," Suki muttered.

Scarlet rubbed her head and went to her room to spend some time alone.

 **-XXX-**

That afternoon Scarlet was supposed to be going on a date with Teddy but instead of going to meet him at _Coffee Cookie_ she asked him to meet her at the emergency Zeta point in Star City. When she got there, Teddy was waiting for her.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Teddy asked her.

"I need to get to the Watchtower," Scarlet confessed. "I want to talk to the big green guy. I figured you'd come with me."

Teddy grinned. "Absolutely." Scarlet hadn't been on the roster with Teddy yet but he often accompanied his father as the Red Arrow. The two of them entered their ideas into the zeta command control and as a yellow-white light consumed them, they found themselves standing in the hanger bay in the Justice League Watchtower.

The two of them walked through the Watchtower completely ignored by some of the other heroes that were there on duty. They found their way to the control room

"Theodore Harper and Scarlet Lords," J'onn spoke up as the two teens walked into the control room. "What are you doing here? Must I call your parents?"

"I dunno," Scarlet shrugged, "my father's right here. Aren't you, dad?"

He seemed to tense up before turning around. "Theodore will you please excuse us? I believe your father is in the common room."

"Um-sure," Theo gulped. He threw Scarlet a sympathetic look before he walked out.

"What can I help you with, Scarlet?" J'onn asked her. His voice as detached as Scarlet's on most days. At least now she knew where she got it from.

She yanked off the bandages that were hiding the pale green skin underneath them. "It won't go away and it's spreading!" she panicked. Scarlet lifted her shirt up and showed where the green was spreading down her torso and across her chest. "What's happening to me and why isn't it happening to Starla? Why me?"

"Because your sisters alien DNA has been supressed almost to the point of non-existence," the martian confessed. "Yours wasn't before you were taken."

"Can you fix me?" Scarlet demanded to know. "I don't want green skin. I want to be who I am."

"You would want me to supress your martian heritage?" he asked her. "Most humans would be furious with such an action."

"Well it'll be easier to supress is than for you to teach me it!" Scarlet snapped. "You get the award for World's Worst Father."

"What did you hope to achieve by coming up here and speaking with me?" he inquired.

"A reminder," Scarlet told him. "That there is nothing but me to be content with. Now fix me."


	18. Author's Note - (WILL BE REMOVED)

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

This is a PSA.

I am in the process of moving house at the moment and because my internet provider is utterly hopeless (BLOODY TELSTRA) we're having issue's getting our internet service connected.

It looks like I'll be without internet until at least the 8th of April but I'm predicting it will be longer because...well...hello-hopeless.

I'm going to try and continue updating on my computer and when once I get my internet back, I'll be able to upload what I've got stored.

Thank you in advanced for you patience.

Love,

MonsterSlut

PS This will be removed when I start up again.


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